Blood Stained Seas and Death Melodies
by Barrett M107
Summary: Killings in Shabondy. Lead Singer turns Psycho and leaves several dead. That's what the reports, the newspapers and the radio talks all said. Mathias Ripper was incarcerated for his actions and now he wants out. He wants a crew... "Ooooh... I am going to have so much fun with this!" Warning: VERY Coarse Language, Blood and Violence, you've been warned. Not Accepting OCs as of now.
1. Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

**Chapter One… Let the Bodies Hit the Floor  
**

Inspired by **'Let the Bodies hit the Floor' **by Drowning Pool

**Hobey Ho and Hello to you all! This is a new fic from yours truly. So this one is… A little different from your average One Piece fics… Okay, pretty different. **

**Let me say this now, this isn't a song fic, though there will be songs in it and chapters inspired by songs because I just love music that much. I'm will be using the amazing songs of equally amazing bands to create this madness and yes, I will type them out, why? My story and I have plans…**

**Also, Shout out to Kuma the wolf alchemist for Beta-ing this chapter for me.**

**So, start reading and enjoy!**

* * *

Shabondy Archipelago was alive with its usual hustle and bustle; the lively scene was all smiles with no troubles for as far as the eye could see. Even the pirates who came for one reason or another were laughing and enjoying the peace that could only be experienced in a place like this. This island, this mass of mangrove trees, was a sight to behold where the people were nice and the view was even better.

One place in particular, former human auction house (forcibly) turned concert hall, was especially busy. Workers and stage hands were going about doing their duties, project managers making sure everything was going accordingly. Small crowds had gathered outside and inside, away from the work that is, and was murmuring rather excitedly amongst themselves, some in tears. The reason was clear glued, stapled and or nailed to various locations all around Shabondy…

A poster advertising what was to be the final performance of the band _Badlands. _

Fans of the band were on pins and needles, some in tears, waiting for what was to be their last and greatest performance, as was read on the poster.

* * *

**-Green Room-**

A hidden, sheltered building hidden amongst the large roots of the dozens of mangrove trees in the theater's backyard was where the band lay in wait for their show. Fully furnished with couches, bathroom, minibar and more - all they needed to have a relaxing few hours before it was time to go out.

The steady rhythmic tapping of wooden drumsticks against the table, the deep notes of the bass and plucking of violin strings before the melodic notes, these were the sounds that filled the room, it was what kept at bay the melancholic feeling and thoughts that came with knowing that this would be their last show and their last time to entertain their adoring fans. The instrumentalists were busying themselves making sure they were ready for the concert while the lead singer leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on a mini-fridge with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other.

He raised it to his lips, inhaled and then leaned his head back, exhaling several rings that dissipated in seconds. He grinned widely, revealing his abnormally sharp teeth.

"Mathias, mate, I know this is our last performance an' all but no need ta get smashed," the drummer spoke up, twirling one of his drumsticks between his fingers. "We don't want a repeat of Loguetown."

Mathias stared at the drummer with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. He took a swig from his drink and said: "I didn't ask for your opinion, did I now?" He took his legs away from his stand-in ottoman and put the chair back on all fours, he leaned forward on his elbows and grinned widely, "You said it yourself, Tommy boy, it's our last night and I for one plan to live it up! Jahahahaha!" Mathias threw his head back and let loose a wicked laughter.

"Well live it up after then," the Bassist added, adding her opinion to the conversation. "Put down the bottle or have Mika stand in for you."

Mathias' eyebrows rose high, now hidden behind the bangs of his shocking orange hair, his neon green eyes focused on his bassist. All eyes went to her, but she paid them no mind and only kept her focus on Mathias, meeting his gaze with a pointed one of her own.

The orange haired lead singer set the bottle down at stood up. He strode across the room until he was standing in front of the girl, Para Mori, his bassist. He grinned widely.

"I'm gonna miss the feisty-ness, I really will…" He flicked her forehead and not in a playful manner, but with enough force to leave a red spot and cause her to wince.

"Hey Mathias, mate…" Tommy spoke up.

"What?"

The drummer looked down at the paper in his hands with a resignation in his eyes and hesitance written across his face, "Uhm… Don't you think the music line up is… a little weird?"

"What do you mean?" the orange haired man asked.

"I mean the order… Won't this seem – I don't know, odd? Off? To all of the fans…"

"I have to agree man," the lead guitarist said, "The fans get a bit crazy and… We're kind of worried they'll get out of control or lose it with these... particular songs." Mathias set his curious gaze on his guitarist and then slowly swiveled around, glancing at every member who either nodded or looked away, but agreed all the same.

Mathias walked to the center of the room and jumped on to the table with a resounding bang that startled some members, he put his hands on his hips, he bent back and looked up at the ceiling. He inhaled deeply before he spoke "This is our last show! We can afford to make it a little _Crazy_, Ne?!" He threw his upper body forward and leaped from the table. "I have my reasons for the order so just go with it! Unless… There are any more complaints…" He glanced around the room and when no one else spoke up, he grinned wickedly. "Fuck Yeah! That's the spirit!"

He paused briefly and his expression twisted in to a quizzical one. He put his hands on his hips once again and titled his head back to look again look up at the ceiling, "How many are coming to the concert?" He asked out of the blue.

"Uhmm… Someone said it was a sold out show…" the violinist spoke up.

Mathias hummed quietly. "Can this concert hall hold all of our fans then?" He asked.

"Probably not," Tommy said with a bit of pride in his voice. Mathias nodded again. He straightened up, folding his arms in front of his chest. He stepped on the Den Den Mushi placed on the table, activating the communicator.

"Oi! Whoever is listening, tell the guys setting up the stage to knock some space out of the hall's walls and make the show open to the public!"

"Are you insane Mathias?" a male voice shouted from the snail phone. "Crowd control is going to be a pain in the ass as it is, do you have any idea how many people security has stopped from trying to snoop around for you all in the last hour? Eh?!"

Mathias just laughed. "We're making this a show to remember, aren't we?! Well I want _Everyone_ to remember this! I want it engraved in their fucking minds! Not just the music, but the _Show_!" He threw his arms out wide, though the man couldn't see it, "So Manager! I say to you, Tear down those walls!"

There was a brief pause after Mathias' 'speech'. The manager gave an exasperated sigh.

"Fine fine fine, but if anyone gets hurt it's on your head," He said pointedly before hanging up. Mathias stuck his tongue out and laughed again.

"Geez… I think I'm going miss that laugh the least," The bands pianist whispered to Tommy who nodded his head.

Mathias jumped down, "All right, besties!" His neon green eyes were wide with excitement as he pulled his violinist and bass player to his sides, wrapping his arms around their shoulders tightly, "Let's get ready for the greatest show EVER!"

* * *

**-Hours Later-**

Night fell upon Shabondy and even then it was still active, no place more so than the concert hall, dozens if not a hundred or so were gathered outside and many times that were packed inside, on the edge of their seats fidgeting and murmuring with excitement.

"Lights…" Spotlights illuminated the t-shaped stage with a walkway going down the center of the seats and the velvet and tattered purple curtain, "Smoke…" White vapor poured out from underneath the curtain, fans up front began to beat the stage rhythmically, "Ladies and Gentleman, fans of all ages…" Murmurs began to increase in volume and there were even excited squeals, "Badlands!"

And they broke out in to cheers, now rapidly beating the stage they could reach and the cheers grew even louder as a short guitar riff tore through the air over the roars of the crowd and a steady guitar beat started, followed by a steady clapping that got the crowd moving even more, clapping along.

Piano notes played as Mathias walked out with the band and took their places on stage. He stood at the start of the walkway and grinned widely.

"A fan favorite… Ladies and Germs, after a night of binging and having a fucking good time! This song is one I am particularly proud of! You know what time it is…" He said. He inhaled deeply, puffing out his chest as the music picked up.

**(Party Party Party by Andrew W.K.) **–_The easiest song to learn ever, in history.-_

_O Party Party Party!  
I wanna have a Party!  
I need to have a Party!  
You need to have a Party!_

Mathias hopped around and rocked and the crowd joined in, hands waving and heads bobbing wildly…

_O Party Party Party!  
You Gotta Party harty!  
I'm Gonna have a Party!  
Or else you won't be sorry!_

_O Party Party Party!  
The party's gettin' starty!  
I know a guy named Marty!  
Marty likes to Party!_

_O Party Party Party!  
Party's make me farty!  
I gotta take antacid  
So I can keep on Partyin'_

Mathias shrugged and continued to bounce

_Sweet Sweet party!  
Party Party Party!  
You Gotta Party!  
And I wanna Party!_

_Who's gonna make this Party starty!?_

Mathias threw his arms out wide!

_ME! _He paused for the music and ran to the end of the walkway, _ME! _

He hopped back and danced wildly and sporadically to the music.

"Who's gonna start this party?!" He asked the crowd and he held out the microphone.

"YOU!"

"Smart people," Mathias stated. The lead guitarist started a solo, walking up beside Mathias, the two of them bobbing their heads wildly to the music, screams and shouts.

_ME!... ME!... ME!... Me! Me! Me! Me!..."_

The song climaxed and let it fade out with lingering guitar note…

The moment the band went quiet the crowd erupted to loud cheers and hollers, applauds and whistles. The orange haired lead singer took a few steps on to the walkway and laughed in to the mic, "We got more songs to go! Don't kill your chords just yet; you'll have a lot more cheering to do!" And more cheers erupted as Mathias jogged back on to stage and spared the band glances, nodding which they returned.

"Hit It!" Mathias exclaimed. The band began to play as the smoke slowly became red…

**(Blood on My Hands by The Used) **

_You felt the coldness in my eyes  
And something I'm not revealing_

_Though you got used to my disguise  
You can't shake this awful feeling_

_It's the me that I let you know  
cause I never show_

_I have my reasons!_

_I'd hate to say that I told you so  
But I Told You So!_

_YYEEEEAAAAH! _His scream whipped the crowd in to a frenzy

_Blood on My Hands!  
Like the Blood in You!_

_Some things can't be treated! So  
Don't hate me! Don't make me!_

_Be myself around you!_

_Straight from your eyes it's barely me  
Beautifully so disfigured!_

_This other side you can't see  
Just praying you won't remember_

_Feel the pain that I never show!  
And I hope you it's never healing!_

_I'd hate to say that I told you so1  
But I told you so!_

_YYEEEEAAAAH!_

_There's Blood on my Hands!  
Like the Blood in You!_

_Some things can't be treated! So  
Don't hate me! Don't make me!_

_Be myself around you!_

_Straight from your eyes it's barely me  
Beautifully so disfigured!_

_**(There's Blood!)**_

_This other side that you can't see  
Just praying you won't remember!_

_**(There's Blood!)**_

_**There's Blood!**_

_**There's Blood!**_

_**Blood!**_

_**BLOOD!**_

Even as the lyrics stopped briefly, the music kept coming and Mathias got the crowd to clap to the beat. Low whispers came from back-up singers and soon enough the music slowed to a halt. All was quiet…

For a second!

_There's Blood on my hands!  
Like the Blood in You!_

_Some things can't be treated! So  
Don't Hate me! Don't Make me!_

_Be myself around you!_

_**(There's Blood!) **_

_Blood on my hands!_

_**(There's Blood) **_

_Like the Blood in you!_

_**(There's Blood!)**_

_Some things can't be treated!_

_**(There's Blood!)**_

_So… Don't hate me, Don't make me  
Be myself around you!_

And the music continued as Mathias slowly walked to the end of the walkway, bobbing his head to the sound. He raised the mic to his mouth…

_THERE'S BLOOD!_

The orange haired rocker threw his hands in to the air and the crowd joined him, hollering and screaming, even a few declarations of love for members of the band. The lead guitarist tossed a water bottle to Mathias from which he took a couple large gulps.

"MATHIAS, I LOVE YOU!" A girl screamed from the front row. Neon green eyes lit up and a wide grin spread across his face. He walked over to her and took her hand, helping her on stage, "Tell me, how old are you, love?"

"Eighteen," she replied. His grin widened.

"Oh hooray," He wrapped an arm around her and brought her flush against him. He caught her lips in a kiss, dipping her until she was parallel to the stage. Her arms went lip and when he pulled away she was blushing madly with a smile on her face, "Well, I knew I was good but…" He set her back in her seat, "I Love My Job!" He exclaimed, garnering more cheers as the band began to play the start of their next song…

"Sorry for making you all waste your money! You paid for the whole seat but you'll only need the edge, if that!" Mathias let loose a wild laugh before jumping in to their next song…

House of Wolves…

Menace…

Getting Away with Murder…

Every lyric of a song, strike of the snare drum or symbol, strumming of the guitars got the crowd more and more hyped, excited. Mathias laughed and laughed, wickedly at that, talking with the audience, the band members as well. Mathias switched out his hand held microphone for a headset and after a few minutes of stagehands tinkering with the sound, all was well and the orange haired lead singer started down the walkway.

"I'd like everyone to take out their recording devices if you haven't already. This next song…" Mathias paused as his lips pulled back further for a wider, wicked looking grin, "This next song is a tribute! A tribute to my wonderful band for all of the good times! All of the experiences over our last three years together!" The crowd cheered and did as such and Mathias placed a sound dial at his feet. He turned around to face his band, "Pre-recorded instrumentals, you guys just sit back and enjoy!" He said with his grin still in place, threatening to rip his face in two.

The members of the band looked at one another with quizzical expressions, confused by this sudden change in the music line up, but didn't openly question it. Mathias was given the go ahead…

He raised his left leg and moved it back to press the dial; he began to sing in a whispered tone

_Let the bodies hit the floor_

_Let the bodies hit the floor_

As he sang, he crossed his arms, reaching inside both sides of his jacket with both hands…

_Let the bodies hit the floor_

_Let the bodies hit the…_

He pressed the dial and his eyes widened. In the blink of an eye he pulled twin silver revolvers, the hammers pulled back! He opened his mouth wide.

_FLOOOOOOR!_

His scream slowly became maniacal laughter as he unloaded shot after shot at a rapid pace, gunning down his lead guitarist and bassist in a bloody show. Tommy the drummer and the violinist attempted to run but met the same fate. The keyboardist fell back in shock of Mathias' actions and opened her mouth to scream but blood suddenly burst from her neck and she fell back, clutching her wound, gurgling and attempting to gasp for air, rolling around and spreading the red liquid across the stage as it began to pool.

The female lead jumped from the stage as Mathias was shooting, spraining her ankle in the process, she frantically tried to elbow her way past the first row of fans that were as white as ghosts, shocked in to silence. The first syllable of her desperate screams was the last noise to leave her lips before blood sprayed out from the front of her forehead. Her eyes rolled back and she landed in a crumpled heap on the ground.

A few faces now had some color back in them as well… Or on them, as it were.

Mathias just stood there with his back to the crowd holding the smoking guns, a wide grin on his face and a crazed look in his eyes. He had stopped laughing and just settled to revel in the stunned silence, he having broken the sound dial underneath his weight. He held his arms out wide and flipped out the chambers, letting twelve empty bullet casings fall on to the stage with a clatter and dropped the guns as well.

He turned to the crowd with the widest grin plastered across his face.

"… To everyone who ever said I wasn't a good role model… You're right… Bahahahahaha!" He let loose a howling laughter and received no response, "So… If we're gonna keep going, somebody get me some damn whiskey and we'll bring the roof down! Eh? What do you say!?" There was a moment of pause before the crowd began to chant and scream once again. Mathias waved his arms upwards, bringing on more and more cheers and hollers.

"The show must go on!" He took a whiskey bottle from the hands of a fan. What neither he nor the fans could see were the shocked, pale faces of the Manager who was in the sound booth with some of the crew, one of whom was vomiting in a waste basket.

"Oh… Oh good god… Call the Marines! Hurry!" He pleaded and they didn't need to be told twice.

Mathias used a sound dial for the instrumentals, "I LOVE MY JOB! BAHAHAHAHA!" He took a hearty swig from his drink and sighed loudly. He started to sing…

* * *

**Author's Note...**

All right, so I think that was an adequate start, I enjoyed it. The updates will be a bit sporadic at the beginning and a bit far between but that's just me getting my thoughts together and trying to create a backlog of chapters.** And there's a reason behind those people condoning murder... Just wait.  
**

OC Form is on my profile. PM's only, follow the rules!

**And Unsung Heroes is not cancelled, No! **I've just seem to have hit writers block after a small incident that caused me to lose both the chapter I was working on and your special surprise... I shed a few tears that day, I will not lie, because i considered it probably the greatest work I've ever written... So! I'm trying to get back in to the spirit of One Piece and get my creative juices flowing again!

I own the songs personally, in my Ipod, for my own listening. **I make NO profit off of them or their mention in my fic. All rights go to their creators.  
**

**Other songs mentioned…**

'**Menace' by Five Finger Death Punch**

'**House of Wolves' by My Chemical Romance**

'**Getting Away with Murder' by Papa Roach**


	2. Riot!

**Chapter Two… Riot!**

**Wow**, **damn good feedback and a lot of awesome characters, so much so I actually had to double up on certain positions in the Band and Crew just because I wanted both! And actually that works in my favor, hehehe *Evil chuckle***

Inspired by **'Riot!' by Three Days Grace. **I do not own any rights to this song.

Now Co-written with **CorGryphonFeather. **Round of applause for her.

**Now, without further ranting, Chapter Two! **

* * *

It had been three months and some days since the Shabondy killings, the day or night as it were when Mathias Ripper, former lead singer of the band _Badlands _murdered his band-mates in cold blood with a grin on his face and mirth in his voice. Even after with the bloodied, bullet-hole ridden corpses of band members laying on the stage and staining the wood red, Mathias continued to sing and the crowd continued to cheer as if nothing had happened, as if they hadn't just witnessed such a ruthless homicide.

Marines arrived soon after and placed Mathias under arrest, he was sentenced to life in an off-shore Maximum Security facility, only after a go in the electric chair failed; only truly succeeding in bringing upon themselves a feeling of murderous intent the likes of which they had not felt before while they shaving Mathias' head, the singer having created new curses to insult them with and making Mathias wet his pants from his howling laughter during and after.

It tickled! He said it over and over again much to the horror of the families of the deceased band members.

For three months he stayed locked away in his padded cell, straight jacket wrapped securely around him. He was given a bowl of food and water, forced to eat like a dog while the guards would kick him, spit on him and treat him as such.

This is where he currently sat, never being allowed to leave his cell. His legs were crossed and his back was against the wall, his head was bowed, his face shadowed by the light hitting the back of his head from his barred window. Unlike the other inmates he stayed perfectly still and quiet, never yelling his lungs out for the guards to come to him so he could strangle them or rattling his door.

"Oh hum…" He sighed. He looked up with a bored, saddened, almost… _pouting_ expression on his face, "One truly is the loneliest number…" He sighed dramatically, falling on to his side. He started to roll across the floor to the other side of the room and back. He came to a stop on his back in the middle of the room after some minutes of his rolling around and he huffed.

"This is sooooo boooooring!" He whined, flailing his legs about but then he paused, "Tiny!" He suddenly shouted.

"Yeah?" His neighboring prisoner shouted back.

"How long does today make?"

"Three months, six days!"

Oh, and Mathias apparently had a few fans in the prison as well. He was proud to learn that he and his music were the cause of more than his fair share of prison riots before he arrived there. They weren't all that successful, if at all, but he was proud nonetheless. His neighboring prisoner, he knew as Tiny, had regaled him with a story of how Mathias' song _'Get Ready to Die' _helped him work up the courage to finally go through with his plan to murder his boss and co-workers.

"Thanks…" Mathias said as he sat upright and began to shift about as best he could in his bindings. He grinned widely.

"Let's start a riot…" He stated.

* * *

Havate Maximum Security Prison: Just as the name implies, it stands many stories tall on its own mile wide island five miles from the coast of the nearest port town. Made of slate grey stone, during the day it is in stark contrast with the bright blue sky and its own white sandy beaches but during the nightly hours, it disappears in to the dark never to be seen by the naked eye until the dawn,

With several hundred guards on duty at all times, marine trading ships arriving every three days with fresh food and supplies and blood shark (1) infested waters it is one of the most secure, non-Marine ran prison facilities.

On the inside, prisoners shook, rant and raved all during the day, screaming their heads off wanting to take a few shots at the guards for their mistreatment but no employee of Havate paid them any mind. They were let out of their cells for all of two hours with several dozen highly trained rifleman watching them from above and then sent back to their cells for the remainder of the day and night.

If not for Impel Down's existence, one could call this place Hell.

Only two inmates had ever escaped the prison walls, one never made it to the beach, the other became shark food.

Havate takes pride in its essentially spotless escape record

"HAAAAGH!"

Heads whipped around in the blink of an to see one of the steel cell doors from the upper level come crashing down to the ground floor, smoke pouring out from one of the rooms.

"I want rifles on that cell now! Guards, move in!" one of the chief guards commanded.

"YES SIR!" the guards sprang in to action. On the floor above on the opposite side of the building from the cell, a dozen or so guards armed with loaded rifles lined up side by side with their sights trained on the smoke filled room. A dozen more were using the elevators, arriving quickly and readying themselves to attack the prisoner.

All four of the guard chiefs were gathered on the ground floor. Three of them went back to talking casually between themselves as the situation was under control and already over in their eyes, but the last kept his gaze on the upper levels. His charcoal black eyes narrowed.

"I know that cell…" He murmured.

"What did you say, Mallard?" The chief guard did not reply.

A male voice sounded from inside the cell, "This one was a fan favorite, I hope you all enjoy, hehehehe…" An evil chuckle filled the air soon after. A smooth baritone voice began to sing…

_If you feel, so empty  
So used up, so let down_

_If you feel, so angry  
So ripped off, so stepped on_

"What the hell?" One of the chiefs murmured.

_You're not the only one, refusing  
to back down_

_You're not the only one, so get up!_

"What the hell is he doing?" One of the chiefs asked. He took a couple steps forward and sighed, "Oi! Guards move in and detain the prisoner, and someone get some extra chains and a strait jacket, tie up the freak nice and ti -" Before he could finish speaking, the neighboring cell door was bent and dented, nearly being ripped off of its hinges from the inside.

_Let's start a Riot! A Riot!_

_Let's start a Riot!_

Mathias smirked, "Right on cue."

"IT'S THE SIGNAL!" a man roared just as he broke free of his cell. Mathias inhaled deeply, puffing out his chest. He cupped his hands around his mouth

_LET'S START A RIOT! A RIOT!_

_LET'S START A RIOT!_

All hell broke loose then and there!

Several explosions shocked the rifleman, barred cell doors were thrown open and solid doors were thrown off completely in quick succession, too fast for them to react accordingly. Multiple guards were assaulted and their weapons taken by inmates who either used the newly acquired weapons to shoot other guards and help their fellow inmates, bludgeon the guards or shoot down below causing a panic.

On all six levels of the prison doors were being opened and prisoners were rushing out. Those on the lower levels jumped down as dozens and dozens of guards began flooding the ground floor from other parts of the prison while those on the higher levels got in to brawls with guards there, beating them down with sheer numbers.

"Get more riflemen on the ground floors now!" One of the security chiefs yelled.

"We can't!" Another replied quickly, "There are too many people, it would be next to impossible to get off a single shot, let alone a clear one!"

"FUCK!"

Mathias watched the madness ensue from his perch on the steel railing. He crouched down and grinned, much like a predator would as it looked on at its prey, lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike. Guards who even attempted to attack an inmate were quickly overtaken by sheer numbers from all around and then beaten down, disappearing amongst the bodies and flying fists and feet.

"Get the tear gas!"

"They're blocking the entrance! We'll hit our own men!"

"Does it look like I give a rat's ass!? Fucking FIRE!"

"YES SIR!"

Mathias let loose a howling laughter hearing the shouts of commands to the guards and the screams of agony and pain. Gunfire joined the concert of madness as inmates fired from the higher levels, taking aim at the guards were attempting to force their way out of the hallways in to the main floor, hallways that were now quickly filling with the green gas.

Prisoners quickly backed away, some falling in to coughing fits and getting struck by the guards in the process.

"YOU!" Mathias' grin turned down in to a bored frown, he glanced out of the corner of his eyes to see a guard bludgeon two of the inmates fending him and others off and push the third out of his way. He dashed at him and the orange haired man casually hopped back off of the railing and turned to face the guard.

"Tiny, give me a hand," Mathias said.

A large prisoner came up behind Mathias and raised a sharpened shank. He brought it down where it disappeared behind and a second later Mathias dashed forth to meet the guard head on.

Mathias weaved around the guard before he could react and the man suddenly went red in the face as white cloth was pulled taut around his neck. His eyes bulged and he struggled against it, dropping his weapon and clawing at it with his fingernails, succeeding in breaking two off and smearing blood over the white but had no luck in freeing himself, not even making a tear.

_If you feel, so filthy  
So Dirty, So fucked up!_

_If you feel, so walked on  
So painful, So *pissed off*_

Just as the man's face began to turn a shade of purple, Mathias, in one strong tug, pulled the man off of his feet with enough force to snap his neck. He seized for a brief seconds before his arms fell limply to his sides.

Mathias tossed the man over the railing and jumped up on to it again

_You're not the only one  
Refusing to go down_

_You're not the only one  
So get up!_

He raised his freed hands high.

_Let's start a Riot! A Riot!_

_Let's start a Riot!_

He once again cupped his hands around his mouth and inhaled deeply…

_LET'S START A RIOT! A RIOT!_

_LET'S START A RIOT!_

The prisoners let out a battle cry in unison that shook the very foundation of Havate, Mathias threw his head back…

"BAHAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

**-Outside-**

Mathias inhaled deeply, reveling in the scent of the salty sea air. He felt the cool ocean breeze against his skin, a nice and very pleasant change from the muggy, humid air of the prison. The same could be said about the sound of the ocean waves and even the screeching of the seagulls, which were always drowned out by the ranting, raving and occasional gunfire from the guards.

He grinned widely, "It's nice to be free!" He exclaimed heavenwards, throwing his head back and letting loose a howling laughter which his fellow inmates joined in on with a hearty cheer. When the short lived celebration said and done with, Mathias turned to his fellow prisoners, a small gathering outside of the main doors while the other hundreds were still inside.

"I want you all to stay here, got that?"

"WHAT?!" They shouted indignantly. Mathias kept a straight face and nodded.

"No way!

"We've been waiting a long time to be free from this hell hole!"

"You really are insane if you think we're going to stay here another day!"

"YEAH!"

Mathias hopped on to a rock and raised his hands, "Murderers, Arsonists, Psychopaths of all shapes and sizes, lend me your ears!" He announced and slowly but surely the crowd grew quiet, "Realize this, my brethren! Outside of these walls there is no life for you! If you escape the Marines will hunt you down and kill you like animals!"

Collective murmuring…

"If you stay here, you can capture Marines and ships, you can take all of the _good_ supplies for yourselves!" He said, "You can take all of their luxuries and make them your own! You can – Donny! You put that fire out, _Right Now!_"

"But - !"

"What did I just say?!"

"Hmph! Dammit, Fine fine fine!" the former inmate proceeded to throw dirt on to the flames and stomp it out.

Mathias nodded, "Thank you, now as I was saying, I have plans for the future! And it would be for the best if you were all alive for it! Okay?" Murmuring broke out amongst the prisoners, no direct answer having been given. Mathias tapped his foot impatiently, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"Oi!"

A relatively large, a couple heads taller than most of the former inmates standing outside, he was heavily tattooed and bald-headed man. He shouldered his way through the crowd to the front.

"Hey there, Tiny," Mathias greeted. The bald-headed man folded his arms in front of his chest the same as him and nodded his head in greeting.

"We'll stay," He stated.

"Hey! Who said you could speak for the rest of us?!" one of the inmates in the crowd shouted indignantly, garnering shouts of agreement from the rest. Both Mathias and Tiny glared dangerously and in no time they had quieted down.

"Tiny, you'll be in charge while I'm gone," the orange haired psychopath stated, pointing straight at the man.

"WHAT?!" The other shouted in unison. Mathias twisted his pinky in his right ear and grimaced at the sheer volume of them all. He wouldn't be surprised if the nearest town had woken up.

He nodded, "Yeah, He's the only one I know by name besides Donny and he… – Donny! The fuck!?" Mathias turned his attention to the serial arsonist that was busy fanning the flames of his newest creation. He looked sheepish for a few seconds before (reluctantly) putting out the fire and crossing his arms.

"Seriously, see someone about that, do metal work, carving… Something else. You're going to ruin fire for all of us if you keep starting them. _Everything _gets boring if it's done too much," Mathias chided. Donny sighed and nodded, "Good… Uhmm… Tiny, what was I saying?"

"You were saying something about Donny before you caught him," Tiny replied.

"Oh yeah… Well Donny can't be leader, look at him…" The orange haired man motioned to the serial arsonist who was crouching down, holding and rubbing his arms, looking around like a frightened rodent now hyper-aware of its surroundings, just waiting, "So many points proven," He jumped down from his rock and started his walk towards the ocean where a small motorized boat awaited him, "I'm off then."

"Oi! At least tell us what you're planning!" someone yelled after him.

"To put it simply: I'll be sowing the seeds the chaos," Mathias called back, vaguely waving over his shoulder without turning back. If he had he would have seen a crowd of confused and frustrated expressions as they tried to figure out the meaning behind his cryptic message. Tiny did not though and merely turned back to the prison.

"Everyone back inside, clean up the bodies and gather any of the guards that are still living," He ordered.

* * *

**-With Mathias- **

The orange haired psychopath reached the shoreline and took his sweet time walking the short distance from his place to the boat. He stopped and felt the sand beneath his feet, an almost alien feel having not left the maddening dirtied white walls of his cell for some three months. He threw a sea shell, kicked a crab, found said crab again and had a staring contest before kicking it once again and sending it sailing through the air before it hit the sea with a splash. He laughed briefly then jogged to the boat at the docks.

"All right!" He hopped in to his newly acquired vessel and managed to start it. The engine came to life, the propeller cutting through the water as he glided smoothly across the ocean in the early hours of the dawn.

"Get free: Check," Mathias murmured to himself, his orange hair whipping wildly. An amused smirk spread across his face, his neon green eyes honed in on the land in view, "Fuck with that prison's _perfect _noescape record: Check!" He said gleefully, "Gather a new band: Currently in progress."

The corners of his lips pulled back, his smirk slowly became a wide, wicked grin. His eyes gleamed, "Oh this is going to be fun." He didn't take notice of the dark clouds of overhead or the increasing height of the waves causing his vessel to hop in to the air before coming down with a splash just as another wave passed under him. Only with the passing of rumbling thunder and a flash of lightning in the sky did he choose to look up at the storm brewing. If it were possible his smile grew even wider as rain came down in a light drizzle slowly but surely worsening. Despite it all, he actually started to sing…

_It's raining, it's pouring_

_The old man is snoring_

_He fell out of bed and bumped his head_

_He didn't get up in the morning._

"Ah, memories…" He said fondly just seconds before lightning flashed overhead.

* * *

**-Meanwhile-**

Roosk Town was shaking off their peaceful sleep and waking up in the early morning hours in the light drizzle of the grey clouds overhead. Shop and stand owners were opening their places for business. They conversed happily with others who were up at this, what some would call, ungodly hour. Children came out of their homes and enjoyed the cool breeze that accompanied the dark clouds, running around laughing and playing.

Heads turned slightly and eyes glanced at a particular figure that was making their way down the street. Groups of people became a bit tighter knit as they murmured amongst themselves. The person paid them no mind, merely passing them by without so much as batting an eyelash in their direction.

They walked at a steady pace, their destination a nearby tavern: O'Shaw's Tavern. The middle-aged owner had just opened and was currently sweeping up outside. He looked up with a tired expression and he smiled, nodding his head in the person's direction.

"Clover," He greeted with a wave, "Just in time."

Clover, a girl in her mid-twenties, nodded back, brushing back strands of her dirty blond hair and tucking them behind her ear.

"Am I ever not?" She replied.

The man chuckled and used the broom as a crutch, "I suppose not. I'll be inside then; you do your thing out here."

She nodded and grabbed a stool from inside, sitting it against one side of the wide doorway so she could lean back while sitting down. Opening the book she brought with her, she began to read the marked page, but only seconds in the rumble of thunder caught her attention…

She looked up, to the darker clouds that were out over the ocean.

"They say dark clouds like those are a sign something bad is coming, you know," the owner commented while wiping the bar top.

"And you really believe that superstitious nonsense?" Clover remarked, returning to her book without sparing him a glance.

The owner shook his head and chuckled, "Well you never know."

Clover spared the clouds one last lingering glanced before returning to her book.

* * *

**Fin.**

**Blood Sharks – **Red colored sharks that are actually normally docile but go in to a raging frenzy when they smell blood and grow in size when enough is ingested. Growth limit is unknown.

**That's all for now. I had so many problems with this chapter and it frankly pissed me off at times…Soooo much… But I do hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Also, keep a watch on my Profile for the crew, it's not done yet, but keep an eye out.**

**Somewhere in that world, an old man is dying because of that song. Nice work Mathias…**

… **That's all, until next time.**


	3. I've got half a brain No, Scratch that

**Chapter 3…**

**Barry: Shooby-Do-Bop, we're back, witches. I wanted to wait just a little longer before posting, but since you guys were so awesome, I decided why not now.  
**

**Corii: Feedback again was great and good news, the crew is complete!**

**Barry: And once you're done reading, I should be done with putting up the list of the crew!**

**Corii: So, without much else to say, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!**

* * *

Mathias reached land before the worst of the storm that was still over the seas. He hopped off on to the muddy sand, a wave coming in and hitting his thighs. Despite him being soaked to the bone, he was smiling nonetheless. He pushed his bangs away that were matted to his forehead by the rain and got a better look at his surroundings. It was an average sized town with a few large hotels and restaurants that were twice the size of most others with their neon signs glowing brightly in the dim daytime.

He nodded, "Let's see if this place has any talent."

He started at a steady walking pace towards town. He pursed his lips and began to whistle a tune, even going as far as to do a zig-zagging, drunken jig that ended with him hopping up and striking his heels together. He grinned widely, stating "Ah! Today is gonna be a good one it is!" with an accent, but seconds later lightning flashed behind him and the roar of severe thunder tore through the air.

He paid it no mind; if anything he grinned wider and continued on his way.

Casually strolling in to town, whistling his tune, he looked around taking in his surroundings. A quaint little town, nothing seemed too interesting to really catch his attentions. Food stands, trinket shops, restaurants but nothing all that… _exciting_! While looking around, he passed quite a few people and while he paid them no mind, his appearance caught their attention.

"Is that a… strait jacket?"

"Some kind of new fashion maybe?"

"Did you see his eyes?"

These questions and more, some a bit more on the nastier side but Mathias ignored them as if they didn't even exist. He came across a shop in particular that he was glad to see.

A clothing store.

He looked down at himself. His dirtied, white greyish strait jacket jumpsuit was soaking wet, so much so the color of his boxers were visible. Not to mention dirt and blood stains on the front and sleeves from the riot. He would be kind of sad to see that part go… It is never easy to part with something so memorable.

He entered the establishment and the young woman behind the counter turned to him with a smile that quickly turned in to a surprised frown as she gasped, "Oh my, sir! Are you all right?" She asked.

Mathias merely nodded his head as he looked around for some suitable clothes. The young woman just stared at him in shock, her eyes roamed over him. Soaked to the bone and she was sure she could see dark and some faded patches of red on the sleeves and on top of that, she could swear his clothes were something akin to a jumpsuit and strait jacket combined.

"Uhmm… Sir?-"

Mathias interrupted her by holding his arms out.

"Got anything similar to this?" He asked.

"…What?" She asked after a moment's pause.

"A jacket that has…" He inspected his sleeves for himself, "These strap things here, or anything similar?" He asked.

The young woman looked at him strangely for some seconds before slowly raising her hand to point towards the interior of the store, "Maybe in the back right co – Waah!" she suddenly cried out and blushed deeply as Mathias shrugged off the top half of his jumpsuit strait jacket and let his pants drop as well so he was down to his boxers

He kicked them off and nodded to her, "Thanks," He started for the back of the store.

"S-s-sir! Please, you can't just-" She ran around to collect the mass of soaked clothing but Mathias paid her no mind and disappeared from her sight amongst the clothes.

He picked up an all-orange jacket with three darker colored long straps wrapped around the sleeves. His eyes rolled up to his orange hair…

"…There is a limit to how much orange one can have before it becomes just wrong…Ah, I can always paint it or something," He shrugged and pulled on his soon to be new jacket. The young woman sighed in defeat and merely chucked the soaked clothes in to the garbage, seeing as how the now former owner tossed them aside without a second thought. She retook her spot behind the counter and leaned forward on her elbows, her chin resting on her palm.

"What a strange guy… Hopefully he leaves before business really starts to pick up…" She murmured, glancing towards the door.

"Aw, well that's just not nice," She jumped and made a quiet 'eep' sound in her surprise. Mathias was leaning on the counter that she had turned her back too with a smirk on his face and wearing the clothes he had picked out.

She blushed with embarrassment but tried to keep a serious expression, failing a little more as the seconds passed and Mathias kept staring at her with that smirk on his face and a rather amused look in his eyes, "Sir, I'm sorry, but you can't wear the merchandise until you've paid for it."

"But if I were half-naked buying these clothes, wouldn't that have driven away customers more so? Hmm?" He questioned.

"No, not if you had just kept your old clothes on until now," She countered.

"It looked like a strait jacket; wouldn't that be just a bit worse?" Mathias asked with a slight chuckle in his tone. Her eyes narrowed and she looked away, still embarrassed over her earlier comment, she tried to keep eye contact but that was difficult.

"_That _coat looks like a strait jacket... Ah, Fine fine, just please pay an -"

"EEEIIIIAAAAHHH!"

She jumped more so than before and her head whipped around at the piercing scream that sounded so very close. Indeed it was, right at the front entrance in fact where several girls were standing with the widest grins wearing similar shirts, wearing or holding similar items that all pertained to the same thing.

"There he is!" One of them exclaimed before they rushed inside and glomped Mathias from all directions.

"It's been quite a while since something like this happened," He said with a smug smirk, "Hello all my pretty lovelies," He greeted, eliciting fangirlish squeals from them.

Upon closer inspection, the young woman behind the counter noticed that the orange haired man was identical to one of the faces on a girl's tee shirt.

"You're famous?" She inquired. The death glares she received from every single one of the fangirls caused her to reel back in surprise and slight fear. She could have sworn she felt a bit of killing intent aimed at her but it all stopped as Mathias gently escaped from his fans' grasps and leaned on to the counter.

"Yes, yes I… was, Mathias Ripper, former lead singer of the band _Badlands_," He grasped the woman's hand and kissed the top of it, "It's very nice to meet you, love." She blushed and took her hand away almost immediately.

"Uhmm…"

Mathias laced his fingers together under his chin, leaning on his elbows on the counter he smiled wryly, "My lovely, would you mind giving a down and out artist a small discount? I would be _very_ much appreciated… I was thinking for free."

"I – I – I just can't give y – You those clothes for free, artist or no artist! I don't even know you!" She protested. Mathias seemed to pout at that.

"Are you sure?"

"I'd get fired!"

His pout slowly morphed in to a smirk that caused her eyes to narrow. He leaned in with one hand and gently cupped her chin between his fingers, looking in to her eyes.

"Well I wouldn't want that, but how about a discount instead?" He asked smoothly. The young woman blushed slightly at the contact and close proximity and despite her previous protests, she slowly began to nod.

"A-a-all right… I – I suppose that's acceptable…" She stated. Mathias grinned devilishly.

"Thank you," He pulled away and spun around to face his fangirls where his expression changed from his grin to , "My lovely ladies, I feel just awful for having to ask this but would any of you be willing to spare little ol' me some belli, I'm afraid I forg – Oof!" Before he even finished he had three wallets shoved in to his chest and a couple handfuls of colorful bills and marked coins, "Thank you so much! Autographs will be outside!" He announced cheerily that sent the girls in to another fit of squeals and jumped around, hugging him again.

Mathias laid some money on the counter, "That should cover the cost of the clothes and here's a tip for you, my dear," He winked at her before making his way outside with the group of girls hot on his heels. None of them saw the devilish grin that spread across his face.

'_Three months and it's still as easy as taking candy from babies… Hehehe, haven't lost my touch one bit.'_

* * *

Already half way through her novel, Clover looked in to the sky. The darker clouds were steadily moving inland, the rain picked up and the roaring thunder was just close enough to shake things up when it came down. She moved her seat to a drier, lighter spot inside.

No fights to break up, no drunken pirates after their binging to throw out, nothing to do but read her book.

"Clover," the owner got her attention, "The storm is getting closer, would you mind closing the shutters?"

She snapped her book shut, "I suppose not," Getting up she brought down the steel door over one half of the entrance and just as she brought down the second, a hand stopped her half-way.

"Not very polite to shut out a potential customer," Clover released the door briefly, allowing the man behind it to raise it completely. He walked in and immediately shook his head, releasing a spray of water from his wild orange hair.

Clover wiped her glasses of the residue and narrowed her eyes at the man, "The storm is worsening, move so I can close the shutters." Her tone left no room for arguments.

Mathias chuckled and walked past her, "Whatever happened to service with a smile?" He pondered, asking no one in particular.

Clover glared after him briefly before going back to her task.

Mathias seated himself at the bar and raised his hand, "Whiskey, leave the bottle," He told the bartender who nodded in reply. The bottle arrived and he almost immediately popped the cork and raised it to his lips, he took a hearty swig and sighed as he brought it away.

"That hits the spot!" He said with a wide grin.

"I would ask you to slow down since it's so early, but hey, keep drinking like that and I'll be rich by the end of today," the bartender stated with a smirk.

"Ah, you don't have enough booze here to sate my thirst!" Mathias exclaimed proudly. The bartender merely chuckled, shrugged his shoulders and went about serving the other patrons.

"Oi Oi! Where the hell is my grub?!" A large, bearded brute of a man shouted, slamming his hand down on the table repeatedly to get the attention of the bartender.

"I heard you the first time, you may want to loosen your pants first big man, otherwise the button is going to pop off and kill someone," the bartender replied sending most of the tavern in to jolly laughter, even some of the men seated around the rotund one, who silenced them with a glare, but took his seat, grumbling under his breath.

Taking another hearty swig from his drink, Mathias swiveled around in his seat and inspected the bar scene. It was filled with various customers of all shapes and sizes, nothing too out of the ordinary, though he certainly couldn't see himself at the moment. He spotted some rather rough looking characters towards the other side of the bar laughing and carrying on in loud tones, but that was about it…

Boring.

The corners of his mouth turned down in to a slight frown and he let a sound of distaste escape him. He snuck a serving of food from a passing waitress' tray and took it for himself, tearing in to a grilled fish with his teeth. Just when he turned to finish his drink and free food and then leave, he spotted a pair of eyes watching him from near the closed off doorway. A pair of dark blue eyes that were in the head of the girl he passed entering the bar.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, ignoring the open book still in hand. Neon green eyes locked with dark blue, but their silent interaction ended with the loud, boisterous and rather annoying laughing of the rotund man from before.

Mathias sneered slightly in his direction but merely took a swig from his drink instead of acting. His eyes moved back to the bouncer girl, just in time to see something rather peculiar at that.

The girl was glaring at the man. For a brief second or two he noticed her eyes glow a lighter blue. He smirked and hopped down but just as he did, a loud, angered voice boomed through the entirety of the tavern.

"What the hell is this shit?!" the rotund man shouted in anger, getting up in a huff, his chair being thrown to the ground with a crash and the table toppling over with a clatter, glasses shattered and drinks spilled out across the floor.

"Hey hey hey!" The bar owner shouted, walking out from behind the counter, "I could ask you the same damn thing! What's with the commotion?!"

"Is this some kind of joke you old geezer!?" the fat pirate shouted, taking a step forward and raising his fist threateningly, "What's the big deal, serving me a plate of shit like that?!" He pointed directly at the plate at his feet, the one served to him. It was a bunch of grilled fish, soaked with beer which he had spilled.

"This ain't a five-star restaurant guy, but the food is fine! There's nothing wrong with that fish!"

"FISH?!" He roared with rage, "You think you can pull a stunt like this and get away with it?!" He took a step but that was the only one before someone else joined the argument.

"Clean up that mess," all eyes went to the bouncer girl. Mathias looked at her with interest.

'_She's a brave one she is…' _He watched as she approached the large man and his eyes went a bit lower, _'Nice ass too…' _He nodded in approval as a wry smirk spread across his face.

The rotund man growled in annoyance and turned in her direction, "What did you say to me?" He asked threateningly, glowering down at her. As the blue eyed girl stopped a few feet away, the height and the size difference were the first two notable and most recognizable differences. He was about twice as wide and a couple heads taller, yet the bouncer girl was staring him down like it was nothing to here.

"I _told_ you, fat man, to clean the mess you made. Then you're going to leave with your derelict companions and never come back here. Ever." She said it with such conviction; Mathias could have sworn the temperature dropped a degree or two.

He noticed the bartender's shoulders slump and his expression change.

"I don't know who you think you are…" the rotund thug started, slowly reaching towards the neighboring table where he grasped a wooden mug, "But _no__ one _talks to me like that!" In the blink of an eye, he sent it flying across the room at breakneck speeds with a powerful toss. It narrowly missed Clover's head as she moved slightly and it crashed in to some of the many premium spirits lining the wall behind the bar, sending the drink and shards of glass flying in many directions. People panicked, screamed as they dived to the ground, flipping their tables in the process to protect themselves.

Mathias, Clover, the bar owner and those with the rotund man were the few that hadn't.

Clover calmed her heartbeat after the surprise of his lashing out.

"Just leave peacefully then, or you may not leave at all," Clover said quietly in a harsh tone, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

The rotund man chuckled, clearly amused, "Really? A little pipsqueak like you? Ha! That's laughable. You really think you can hurt a guy like me?"

"Not hurt," she corrected, "Much worse and without even batting an eyelash," Clover told him.

His amused smirk turned down in to a sneer. He slowly shook his head and pulled his fist back, "Your funeral, I already warned you once you dumb bitch!"

"And I warned you," Clover stated, she raised her hand to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose. The man's eyes widened as he threw his fist forth, aiming for Clover's face.

The bartender sighed and turned around to return to his post.

"Shatter…" Clover murmured, making eye contact. Her eyes glowed light blue unbeknownst to those around her and the man paused, his fist mere inches from her face. The man let out a gurgled groan, the light left his eyes as they rolled back. His arm went limp, it fell to his side and he soon followed, falling towards Clover like a felled tree.

"Tiiiimmmber!" Someone exclaimed. Clover watched as a chair slid/scrapped across the wooden floor, landing in front of her to catch the large man before he crushed her. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Mathias smiling at her, his teeth bared.

He merely waved, still grinning.

"Hmph…" She huffed quietly, turning away and adjusting her glasses. Without a word she grabbed the large man and slowly dragged him away, turning a corner near the back of the bar and disappearing from sight.

The bar owner sighed, "And here goes everything about self restrain outta the window, dammit" He shook his head as he ran his hand through his salt and pepper hair.

Clover closed the door behind her as she tossed the large, unconscious man against the wall of the storeroom. Reaching around she finally grasped what she had been looking for and pulled the cord to turn the lights on. She glowered down at the rotund man who was simply laying there, his eyes rolled back with drool rolling out and down to the floor from the corner of his mouth. Not a twitch could be seen, not a sound could be heard, and not a breath escaped him.

"I'm almost sad I had to do that…" Clover said, speaking to him though it was doubtful he could hear, "I'm sad…" Her cold expression morphed in to one of glee with a wide grin spread across her face. Her eyes gleamed with a kind of excitement as she took an object out of the shadows she cast in the corner.

She slowly unsheathed the sword in hand and if it were possible, her grin grew even wider as she saw the reflection of her eyes in the steel. She ran her tongue along the notched blade edge before placing it against the man's temple with enough force to draw a droplet of blood.

"I'm sad that you won't be able to feel this, I would enjoy it so much more…" A sadistic laughter tore from her throat as she went about her business…

One of the men that had been sitting with the rotund thug got up but he was stopped after a single step by a whistle. He looked towards the bar…

"If I were you, I wouldn't do what you're thinking of doing," Mathias said, "Not when I guy like me knows what you're thinking of doing," He grinned viciously as he pulled his jacket back to reveal the flintlock pistols holstered inside. He slowly shook his head which turned in to a nod as the man sat down begrudgingly, having gotten the message.

"Have a couple bottles of rum for me, I'll be back," Mathias told the bartender as he got up from his seat and started for the back room.

"Oi!" The bar owner hissed, chasing after him. He grabbed Mathias' shoulder to stop him, "Hey! Don't go back there! It's off limits to customers!"

Mathias slowly turned his head to look down at the middle-aged man, "Well I haven't paid yet, so can I be called a customer?" he asked. He pursed his lips and released a brief high-pitched whistle that caused the bar owner to wince and cover his ears, "Don't fucking touch me either."

He started towards the backroom and just some feet from the door he heard a faint sound from inside. Constant, a little high-pitched… He closed his eyes for a brief moment before it hit him: Laughter.

He just stood outside the door, unable to see pass the mirror in place of a see-through glass window. He knocked a few times, "'Elloooo? Anybody home in there?" He asked with an accent. The laughter stopped, he could hear faint footsteps but he didn't receive any kind of response.

He raised his hand to knock again…

"If you don't mind the blood, come on in," the bouncer girl said. He shrugged…

He opened the door and poked his head inside and he received quite the unexpected sight. The moment he opened the door the smell of blood was what struck him first, it wafted in to his nose causing a smile to spread across his face. On the ground were small pools of blood smeared by footprints. His eyes were drawn to the large man lying in a large pool of the red liquid and something interesting caught his eye…

The top of his head was gone as was his brain. His skull was nothing but a hollow shell.

'_It wasn't before…. Ha! I made a funny…' _ His eyes traveled to the only other figure in the room. They went up the blood stained pants of the person, admired the chest for a few seconds before finally they fell on the girl's face, only a single smudge of blood on her cheek.

In her hands was a glass jar filled with a strange light green liquid. Floating in the liquid was a brain, a human brain.

Mathias took a step inside, closing the door behind him. Clover glanced at him, one hand leaving the jar and slowly reaching towards her weapon she had leaning against the wall.

Mathias merely stepped towards her and leaned down until he was level with the jar. He poked it…

"…Cool."

* * *

**Corii: And so ends Chapter 3. Thoughts? Like It? ****Love it****?**

**Barry: Well, again this chapter just pissed me off; mainly due to problems I had with flow and exactly how to word it.**

**So Clover… Yeah, you guys can already guess why I chose her. XD**

**Corii: -Whistles innocently as a halo appeared over her head-**

**Barry: Next time I'm going to tell you guys why I chose to do such a fic, so dark, violent and just crazy. I want to, and hopefully it may encourage people to try it themselves.**

**Corii: Later! -Waves at the readers-**


	4. When You're Evil, this happens

**Chapter 4**

**Corii: Great great feedback you guys. We're glad everyone is enjoying this little piece of madness!**

**Barry: News, this chapter marks the end of the Miss me? Arc, which we are currently in! *Applause***

**Corii: Thank you, Thank you! Now, we should warn you that we may take a short break; two weeks give or take, to finish things up with the plot and what all needs to be done.**

**Barry: Do not be discouraged as we will be back! I'll set a date on my Profile at some point! No frowns!**

**Now Enjoy…**

Inspired by 'When You're Evil' by **Voltaire. I Do Not Own This!**

* * *

Mathias poked the jar, watching the brain suspend inside, "Cool…" He commented. Clover jerked the bottle away from him, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

"Don't touch," she told him coldly. The orange haired rocker made a kind of pouting expression.

"Aw, my lovely, haven't you heard…" He practically danced around her, using his longer reach and her surprise by his sudden movement to grab the jar away and hold it out of her reach, "Sharing is caring," He held it up to the light to examine it better, "Cool…" He slowly turned it around.

"Then it's a good thing…" She raised her foot and struck him square in the stomach with a straight kick, causing him to drop the jar which she caught, "I don't care about you one bit," He hit the wall and stayed there quietly with his head bowed. His head shot up with a wide wicked grin spread across his face.

"That kind of hurt!" He growled. He took a quick step forward but was stopped by a sharp point against his adam's apple. If it were possible his grin only grew wider despite the threat on his life as his eyes traveled down the sword blade to the girl who was currently holding it against his neck, a small smile on her own face.

"And what are you going to do about that?" She asked tauntingly with a smirk.

"Sexy and dangerous…" his tongue slithered out from between his teeth and wet his lips, "I like that," He backed away from the blade, keeping his hands up in her view. Clover sheathed the weapon but kept her eyes on him, one hand ready at her sword's hilt, just waiting for him to make a move. Mathias made no advance towards her but to the body of the now brainless man. He peered inside the hollow space of his skull where his brain once was and he ran his finger along the edge of skull where she had cut.

"Smooth, clean… Surgical even," He surmised, "Would you happen to be a doctor?" He asked with his back to her.

"I am. What's it to you?" She inquired.

"…" Mathias grinned widely. He whirled around with his arms out wide and bowed, "My name is Mathias Ripper," He told her, changing the subject. He took her hand and kissed the top of it, "It's a pleasure to meet a lovely woman such as yourself." Her eyes widened, she immediately wrenched her hand away, moving back until she was against the wall behind her.

"Pig," She spat, narrowing her eyes at him, "Don't touch me," She snarled quietly. Mathias leaned in with a wide grin, taking a couple steps forward. When Clover attempted to distance herself, she found her back against the wall.

_'Shit..'_

Mathias tilted his head, "Aw, no need to be so mean love, I was complimenting you on your beauty, why so hostile?"

"One, I've only just met you and two, I don't like that look in your eyes," she told him flatly. Mathias' grin only seemed to widen.

"Ah, my dear, the look that you see isn't something to be scared of. It's actually a compliment, it happens anytime I see something I like…" He cuffed her chin, causing her to jerk back, only for her head to bump against the wall.

"Ah!"

Mathias was face to face with her in a second, stroking her cheek, "Oh, Are you all right?" Clover narrowed her eyes dangerously, her jaw clenching. She reached for her weapon but she was stopped by Mathias who pinned her wrist against the wall. She didn't want to drop the brain, leaving her with no hands.

"What do you want?" She asked, craning her neck to get away from his hand on her cheek.

"Your name for starters," He replied.

"Clover Hall," She said, "I would say it's a pleasure to meet you but I'd be lying through my teeth…"

Mathias chuckled, "Oh so spunky, I like that," He grinned, exposing his teeth and causing her eyes to widen. He leaned forward and just when she thought he was going to make a move, he walked back until he was against the opposite wall.

"See? That wasn't so bad now was it, Miss Clover Hall?"

Clover set the jar down by her feet and grabbed her weapon. She folded her arms under her chest, keeping her weapon near her in case Mathias made another move.

"Just what do you want?" She asked, "I was going to try and enjoy my collection but some annoying orange haired moron isn't letting me."

He tilted his head, his expression conveying confusion, "Collection?" He spied the single jar and pointed to it, "One isn't what I'd call a collection…" It was Clover's turn to smirk. Using her free hand she reached up to grasp a cord without looking. With a single tug her wall was illuminated and revealed dozens of pickled brains lining the shelves, brains varying in sizes floating in the strange green liquid.

Mathias' eyebrows rose, "Oh wow… You've been at this for quite a while…"

Clover shrugged, "It's a hobby."

"A hobby…?" Mathias parroted, eying the brains, "You collect brains… as a hobby?"

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?" She asked.

Mathias slowly shook his head in the negative as a wide grin spread across his face, "Oh no… Nothing wrong with that at all…" He stroked his chin, looking Clover up and down, "Surgical precision with a blade, collects brains for a hobby, sexy, spunky, a Doctor…" He began to nod his head, listing off aspects of her then he asked, "You wouldn't happen to play an instrument of any kind would you?"

She paused, wondering why she should even answer the orange haired man. After some seconds of hesitation, she sighed and said "…The guitar, acoustic and electric, what's it to you?"

Mathias clapped his hands together, "Oh joy!" He exclaimed with a grin, ignoring her question, "What a lucky day for me! I escape from that boring ol' asylum and then I find a girl like you!" Clover's eyes widened immensely at that, but the orange haired rocker merely spun in place and hopped up, striking his heels together, "Happy day! One down…" Mathias counted off on his fingers briefly before shrugging it off and grinning widely like he did, "More to go!"

Clover's grip tightened on her sheathed weapon to the point her knuckles became chalk white, "What did you just say?"

Mathias blinked, looking confused, "Uhm… One down, more to go…?" He said, more as a question.

"Before all of that, you dolt! What did you say?" She snapped.

He thought it over until he snapped his fingers, "Oh, I escaped from an asylum like… A few hours ago… I can't remember, I've been enjoying my freedom too much to care!" He chuckled.

"You're joking," She stated flatly, "Havate is inescapable, but you believing you could escape from a place like that proves you need to be _in_ an asylum.

Mathias stared in to her eyes for a few moments, not saying a word.

"Okay, one last thing, would you mind showing me proof that you can play the guitar? Play something for me, anything at all," He said.

Clover narrowed her eyes, "And why should I?" She spat, "In fact, why am I still talking to you at all?" Mathias frowned at that. His hand quickly reached in to his jacket, drawing a silver revolver and pointing it directly at her just as she gripped the hilt of her sword.

"If you don't, I'll put a bullet between your eyes," He stated with a serious expression on his face. Clover visibly paled, her grip tightening on her weapon, she exposed a small portion of the steel when Mathias spoke up again, "Ah ah ah, do you really that will work love? Yes, we're close but you have to draw that weapon and then slash, I on the other hand…" At his implication, she drew half of the blade from the sheath just as he pulled the hammer back, "I'd wager my bullet goes faster than you can unsheathe and slash me so a pull of the trigger and its game over for Clover." He stated maliciously with a grin.

Clover's jaw clenched.

"Sheath it, put the weapon down," He instructed. She did just as he said, "Okay, now go get your instrument and then play."

She leaned her weapon in the nearest corner and walked backwards towards the back of the storeroom, keeping her eyes on Mathias, more specifically, the revolver in his hand. She blindly felt around briefly until she found what she was looking for: her guitar case. She brought out her instrument and began to play.

Mathias smirked, he nodded.

Once her solo came to an end, Mathias applauded for a few brief seconds, "That was good." He aimed the gun at her; directly between her eyes. It was a stare down between them. A grin slowly spread across Mathias' face and Clover quietly gulped.

"… … … Bang!" He pulled the trigger.

"AH!" She yelped, jumping back in fear.

Click

No bang. No flash from the muzzle. No bullet. Just a single, harmless click…

Clover slowly opened her eyes to see Mathias spinning the revolver around his finger by the trigger guard, a wide grin on his face, "Just kidding," He stated. The blond haired girl slowly let the information sink in. She corrected her posture, her expression of shock slowly morphed in to one of anger, her dark blue eyes changing to a lighter hue. In the blink of an eye she threw her guitar to the ground and crossed the room in seconds. Mathias found himself pinned against the wall with a forearm pressing against her trachea and a sharp scalpel against his carotid artery, already drawing a droplet of blood.

"You asshole! That wasn't funny!" She snarled, "I should kill you just like I did that fat fuck that started trouble earlier!" Her sneer turned up in to a sadistic smile, "Actually, I'd love to pick that messed up brain of yours."

Mathias chuckled, "Your anger is a real turn on, you know that?"

"Shut the hell up! Give me a good reason why I shouldn't slice you open now that I have the chance," Clover said.

"I have plans and it's not right to kill your Captain," He answered as it if were obvious.

"Who just points a gun at somebody and - " She stopped, " Wait – wait, what?" She asked, "What did you just say?"

"I have plans…?"

"After that, you idiot!"

"Oh, Yeah, I'm your Captain now."

Clover looked at him with a mix of confusion and utter disbelief. He had just blatantly stated that he was her Captain just now. Captain?! He couldn't be serious…

"Just what the hell makes you my Captain?" She asked.

Mathias reached up and cupped her cheek, "Well, I decided for you," He stated, "You're just like me and you play an instrument so that makes you perfect for the crew I'm going to bring together…" He grinned and leaned in until their lips were a hairsbreadth apart, despite the blade of the scalpel breaking skin, "Clover, love, not only that but I've taken a bit of an interest in you. You don't have a choice. You can come with me willingly, or I can take you with me, those are your choices."

She blushed and let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. _'What the hell is happening? I can't move!'_ Her grip tightened on the scalpel and her teeth gritted. She narrowed her eyes dangerously, _'Dammit! What is wrong with me?'_ She thought.

"Well Clover, what's your choice?" Mathias asked with a wry smile.

"… Just who the hell are you?" She snarled, ignoring his question.

"My name is Mathias Ripper, I told you already," He replied, "Think of my name… Does it ring any bells?"

Clover scrutinized him. The name. The orange hair. The sharp teeth. Those were probably the most memorable features of him. She looked him up and down, taking in every detail and searching the recesses of her memories for anything pertaining to him, any detail that stood out. Her eyes widened…

"You're that psychopath that killed his own band in Shabondy… You're Mathias Ripper…"

"Ding Ding Ding!" He grinned manically, "I prefer 'Murder Enthusiast' to Psychopath, but yes, in the Flesh!"

"You survived the electric chair…" she murmured, "You… really did escape from Havate?" She asked.

"Sure did."

Of all the reactions in the world of emotions, Clover did not cower away or show fear in general; in fact, she grinned!

"Hmm… Now I really want to get a look at that brain of yours, just see how messed up it really is. See what makes you tick…" She brought the scalpel away from his neck, "So I can find out just what the hell you are, because you're certainly not human."

Mathias looked down at her, positively amused, "You want to know what I am?"

Clover nodded.

"Do you really want to know?"

Again, she nodded.

"… My dear, your question has inspired lyrics within my brain! Follow me and I'll tell you just what I am!" He said in a rather loud tone as he grabbed the dead man by the scruff of his shirt. He stopped, "Hey, do you mind if I borrow your sword? These guns are empty," He tossed the second gun on the ground.

Clover narrowed her eyes at him, "… … I suppose not…" She slowly handed him the weapon, "But what do you need it for?"

"To show just who and what I am of course, now follow me," He said as he dragged the body outside with him.

* * *

"Run! Someone call the damned police!"

"Oh my god, he – he –Bleegh!"

"Get your children inside!"

Bar patrons ran outside as quickly as they possibly could, not even waiting for the rain shutters to fully open. They screamed, they vomited, they ran as fast as their legs and booze hazy brains could carry them until they fell in to the mud. Mathias dragged the brainless man outside and tossed him in to the middle of the street and jumped on to his stomach, giggling and bouncing up and down on the man's belly as if he were a trampoline, but he stopped. He cleared his throat.

"Clover, you stay where it's dry if you like," He told the blond girl who watched him with interest from the sidelines.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, glancing towards the advancing group of the island's police force.

"You! Cease and Desist at once!"

"Come along quietly, we're authorized to use force if necessary!"

Mathias ignored them altogether to answer Clover's question, "My dear, I'm going to answer that question. I'm about to tell you just what I am!" He grinned widely, "Now, it's not complete but it's going to go something like this!" Mathias pursed his lips and began to whistle a tune. He tapped his foot and nodded his head to his tune as he unsheathed the sword...

Lightning flashed.

_When the Devil is too busy__  
__And Death's a bit too much_

_They call on me, by name you see__  
__For my Special touch_

Mathias chuckled as he spun place, the sword slicing through the chest of an officer, spraying blood across his face as the man fell. The orange haired rocker merely licked his lips as he inhaled…

T_o the Gentleman I'm Miss Fortune_

He swung his arm back as he reversed his grip, ramming it in to another officer's chest.

_To the Ladies I'm Sir Prize_

Mathias moved his feet fluidly, as if dancing, cutting down several officers and injuring more as he made his way back over to Clover. He grinned widely…

_But call me by any name__  
__Any Way it's all the Saaaame…_

Mathias jumped back. He bowed deeply before spinning just as one of the officer's ran at him. He was sliced across the chest, he screamed in aongy as he fell to the ground, withering in pain, clutching at the bleeding wound. Mathias kept grinning… He stomped his foot twice.

_I'm the fly in your soup__  
__I'm the pebble in your shoe_

_I'm the pea beneath your bed__  
__I'm the bump on every head_

He cut down two more before dancing as it doing the waltz while he slashed and cut more down.

I_'m the peel on which you slip__  
__I'm the pin in every hip_

_I'm the thorn in your side__  
__Makes you wriggle and writhe_

He stabbed an officer in the side, impaling him through. He ripped it out in seconds!

_And it's so easy when you're evil_

_This is the life, you see__  
__The Devil tips his hat to me!_

_I do it all because I'm evil__  
__And I do it all for free__  
_  
He whirled around and decapitated one of the officers! He laughed joyfully as he ducked and swayed to avoid the attacks of more. He eviscerated them! The blade slicing through the flesh and fat of their stomachs as easily as a hot knife through butter!

He inhaled…

_You're tears are all the pay I'll ever need!_

He began to waltz towards Clover, running the blade through an officer's chest just as he attempted to grab her. He leaned in, "I told you they wouldn't lay a hand on you, feel free to play…" He ripped the blade away and threw his head back.

_While there's children to make sad__  
__While there's candy to be had_

_While there's pockets left to pick__  
__While there's grannies left to trip down the stairs_

_I'll be there__  
__I'll be waiting 'round the corner__  
_  
He turned and slashed an officer through his stomach while he held his hand back towards two who ran at him with intent to take him out. He snapped his fingers and they were thrown off of their feet by an invisible force. He grinned briefly before he pursed his lips. He began to whistle a tune, dancing fluidly within a confined space. In doing so he dodged, countered and killed the police force as they came at him.

He stopped and looked to Clover, "Those are some of the lyrics and I'm trying to incorporate this towards the end," He said this so casually despite him running the sword blade through an officer's stomach who attempted to attack him from the side. Mathias sighed and began to sing softly…

_It gets so lonely, being Evil…__What I'd do to see a smile…__Even for a little while_

_No one loves you when you're evil…_

He grinned manically.

I_'m lying through my teeth!_

_Your tears are all the company I need!__  
_  
Mathias bowed his head and held his arms out, signaling the end to his performance. He stood amongst the bloodshed of dozens of injured and bleeding fallen bodies of the police force and the occasional civilian that had gotten caught in the crossfire and bloody chaos. The orange haired man was splattered with blood from head to toe; he whipped his head to the side, cleaning his hair of some of the red liquid. He raised one of the knives to his lips and his tongue slithered out, licking some of the red from the cutting edge before cleaning the steel blade with a flick of his wrist.

He slowly moved around the deceased, making his way towards Clover. He cleaned the blade, flicking the blood off without issue and he took the sheath from her, sliding the weapon inside smoothly. He bowed lightly.

"My dear Clover, this is my answer. My name is Mathias Ripper, former lead singer of Badlands," Mathias' grin widened to manic proportions, his eyes gleamed with glee. He threw his head back.

"MATHIAS RIPPER IS BACK WORLD! DID YA MISS ME?"

Girls and Boys of all ages that had survived in hiding went to uproarious cheers, whoops and hollers, chanting Mathias' name. Even Clover applauded. The orange haired man only grinned wider.

* * *

Roars and cheers filled the air of the torch lit stone arena. Dozens upon dozens of people were cheering, waving their hands, chanting over and over again as two individuals went about a harsh fist-fight in a blood-stained, bone-littered arena. The larger of the two threw punches again and again, the occasional kick that would send his opponent flying in to the wall but the man would get back up and jump back in to the action.

"Annoying bugs like you really piss me off!" The larger of the two said as he grabbed his opponent by the throat before he could react and lifted him high in to the air above his head. The smaller man was slammed down with a resounding crash that sent the crowd in to a frenzy! They clapped their hands, stomped their feet, screamed their lungs out to show their excitement.

"KILL'IM KING!"

"Rip his head off!"

"This is my turf!" The larger man roared as he crouched down next to his downed opponent and reared his fist back. His opponent weakly attempted to tear away the hand that had a vice-grip around his throat, but to no avail. He threw weak punches that made the faintest of slapping sounds which were drowned out by the crowd cheering and feet stomping.

The larger man's fist came crashing down in to his opponent's face with a sickening crack as it tore through his opponent's head and also the concrete floor under him. The larger man pulled his hand out of the ground and his opponent's destroyed head before shaking off the gooey brain matter, blood and concrete dust before he picked small pieces bone fragments and jagged shards of concrete from his undamaged fingers.

The victor pumped his fists in to the air and threw his head back, exclaiming, "ALL HAIL THE MURDEROUS KING!" Whipping the crowd into a even greater frenzy than before as the feet stomping, chants of his name and women professing their love to him got even louder.

Two scantily clad women sauntered out from the entrance to the arena floor and wrapped their arms around either of his arms while handing him his belt before they caressed his extremely muscular biceps while waving to the crowed,

"This is my turf! My palace! MY throne! If anyone has a problem with that, STEP UP! All Challengers Welcome!" He exclaimed with a loud roar while a wide grin appeared on his face as he soaked in the cheers and chants.

The Murderous king threw his head back and yelled "It's great to be King!" before letting out a roar of deep laughter.

* * *

**Barry: So, you know that feeling you get when it's dark behind you, you want to look over your shoulder? Something following you? The shadows moving on the wall? Well, you'll be happy know that's all Mathias. Get the lights before he gets you… **

**Corii: So what did you guys think? Barry did say last chapter that he would explain why he made a fic like this, and here it is…**

**Barry: I am Crazy. Capital C – Crazy and I decided that I would put all of these ideas and thoughts to good use instead of having them get in my way and muddle up my stories, wanting to get out and just mess things up. With a Dark, Crazy, Violent fic like this, I opened myself to a lot more possibilities and can go a lot farther than I normally could with anything I wrote in the past.**

**I encourage you, if you are like me, to give something like this a try if you think it's your cup of tea. It helps, and the ideas never stop.**

**Corii: That's enough out of us; go on, nothing to see here… Until next time that is! Mwahahaha.**

**Barry: Was that laugh necessary?**

**Corii: -Shrugs-**


	5. Setting Sail with Two Devils

**Chapter 5**

**Both: Aaaaand we're back!**

**Corii: More great feedback! Think we could have results like that every chapter?**

**Barry: We don't have much to say except that we hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a tad slower than the rest I think, not a whole lot of action, but there's some important stuff in here.**

**Both: Enjoy!**

* * *

Mathias and Clover stood amongst the bloodied bodies of massacred police officers and even innocent bystanders that had been caught in the crossfire. Some were dead, lying in pools of mixed blood that was black underneath the darkness of the clouds. Others were withering in agony, clutching a still bleeding, deep gash in their body, no doubt on the precipice of death waiting to fall and end their pain. The orange haired man and the blue-eyed doctor on the other hand were smiling. Clover spied a few decapitated heads while Mathias happily watched the blood spread across the muddy ground, sink in to it and become one with the earth.

"You did a good work," Clover commented.

"Oh? Was that a compliment I just heard?" Mathias asked teasingly.

"Don't get used to it."

Mathias let out a light chuckle as he swept his blood-matted bangs aside, "I never did get my answer," Clover looked at him confusedly and he backtracked, "I gave you a choice to either willingly come with me and become the Doctor of my crew or I would take you with you me. To put it simply it's the easy way or the hard way," Mathias stared pointedly down at her, "And I should warn you, I don't like _not _getting my way… I get a bit annoyed."

Clover smirked, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose just as lightning flashed overhead and thunder followed, "So, either I give the spoiled child what he wants or the child throws a tantrum?"

"Hehehe, you could say that, but the spoiled child always gets what he wants, despite the answer," He said smoothly, "And replace 'spoiled child' with 'Psycho Murder enthusiast'."

"No," Clover refused flatly. She adjusted her glasses, "Do you have a vessel?"

"Not yet."

"You're still not giving me a choice are you?"

"Nope."

She sighed, "Adamant moron… I suppose I'm your doctor then." Mathias grinned broadly and suddenly lunged at her, wrapping one arm around her waist and grabbing one of her hands, lacing their fingers together. Being taller he picked her up, making her hold on to him in surprise. He waltzed around, stepping over and on the deceased, bloodied bodies. He laughed, hopping once and twice, splashing about in the red liquid of life.

"Put – Me – Down!" Clover tried to say as he Mathias spun about and hopped.

He set her down on her feet, "What can I say, when I get my way, I'm happy about it," He said with a grin.

"Don't you always get your way?"

"Yeah, but the hard way makes me less happy about it."

Clover slowly nodded as she adjusted her now disheveled appearance, "Are you going to do that with _all _of your crewmates?" she inquired.

Mathias shrugged, "Only with the cute ones."

"Dammit… Clover…" She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the bar owner running his hands over his face and through his hair as he looked around at the bloody scene. He shook his head, his cheeks flushing, "Dammit! You let him do this? No, I can't cover for you on this one… I can't…" He was becoming manic; his breathing became rapid and a tad shallow.

"Don't give yourself a heart attack, old man," Clover said, "I'm leaving soon anyway so there's no need to cover for me… Hell, I didn't do this," she said with a smirk, glancing at Mathias who punted a decapitated head through a hotels second floor window.

Screams rang out and Mathias pumped his fists in to the air.

"It's good!"

Clover chuckled lightly before looking back at the old man, "See?"

The old man slowly shook his head, clutching at tufts of his short, salt and pepper hair, "Fuuuuck…" He groaned, "Just… just get that damned collection of yours out of my bar! Get it, take everything you own and get the fuck out of here!" He stormed back inside.

"Oh! I nearly forgot them!" She said jogging back inside just as Mathias kicked another of the heads down the road, shattering a light.

"Woo!"

"Stop destroying those brains you idiot!"

"But it's so fun!" He replied.

Clover made a sound of distaste as she went towards the back of the bar and out of sight, leaving Mathias out in the rain. The orange haired rocker spun in the drizzle as it began to pick up again. Lightning flashed yet again and the roaring thunder followed. He smiled.

"Where storms come, trouble follows. As the clouds part, the sunlight illuminates the devastation…" He recited quietly, "I love that…" He said to no one in particular. He began to whistle a tune similar to one he had been during the massacre. He looked around, waiting for Clove to return, when he spied a particular shop.

He grinned and took off at a sprint.

Clover walked out of the establishment with a burlap rucksack on her back with her sword attached to it. She looked around but there was no sign of Mathias, amazing considering he stuck out like a sore thumb in this dismal, darkened environment in all that orange. She narrowed her eyes and looked up at the roofs, awnings and covers of houses and businesses, thinking the orange haired idiot would try to spook her by jumping down, but she could see neither hide nor hair of him.

"Dammit, where did that idiot go?"

"What idiot?"

Clover jumped and whirled around. There was Mathias, looking down at her with a curious expression.

"Never mind, I found him," She replied. She looked him up and down, "Where did you run off to?"

He pointed over his shoulder, "Weapon's shop. Bullets are a bitch to find and expensive as hell, plus I like to take a more hands on approach when it comes to my murdering," He said, nodding, speaking of killing as it were a hobby.

'…_Strangely… I'm not surprised at all about that…' _Clover thought, adjusting her glasses. She fell in step beside Mathias as her walked past her.

"Where are we going?"

"The beach."

"Why? I thought you said you didn't have a vessel?" Clover replied.

"Ah, maybe we'll get lucky," Mathias said, shrugging his shoulders.

Clover deadpanned, "Are – You - " She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Do you know the probability of something like that?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions," Mathias replied, "I don't like that, stop doing that."

"Then give me a bit more to go on, you imbecile!" Clover retorted, "You tell me you have plans yet you still haven't explained what that means. You haven't explained to me why playing an instrument was important in your 'evaluation' in the storeroom and among other things, you -" Mathias covered her mouth before she could continue. He moved until he was walking backwards in front of her and leaned down to eye level with her.

"Stop talking. All of that is on a need to know basis and you, my dear, don't need to know just yet. All you _need_ to know is that I'm creating a new band, okay? And you're my new lead guitarist," She slowly nodded.

He took his hand away, "Good." They walked in silence, the only real noise being the storm overhead.

"You were in such a good mood before…" Clover teased.

"Don't go where I think you're going…" Mathias warned her.

"Why is that?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Clover…" he said.

"Is it because little ol' me? My _Questions? _Hu – Yipe!" She yelped as she received a swift, sharp smack to her rear, causing her to jump forward and grab her cheeks. She whirled around, blushing beat red and glared at Mathias who walked past her with blank look.

"I warned you," he stated.

"What the hell?" She shouted indignantly, sprinting to catch up, "It's not polite to smack girls' butts you know?"

"And there you go again with you questions…" He sighed. Clover sidled to the side out of panic, thinking another strike was coming but Mathias kept walking. She walked alongside him, still wary nonetheless. They came to the beach within a few minutes and it was desolate save for the occasional crab that would scuttle by and disappear underneath the muddy sand. Some would stop and stare at Mathias, pinching their claws together before moving on. The pair searched around, they even back tracked in the opposite direction but quickly came back as they were getting far too close to town and police sentries for their liking. So far their searching was in vain as there wasn't a ship or even a small dinghy to be heard of.

"The town's going to get over it soon and inform the rest of the police force, I'd say thirty minutes or so before we'll have to fight our way out…" Clover stated.

Mathias looked up and down the shoreline. He inhaled and exhaled rather calmly. He clicked his teeth three times. Clover opened her mouth to question him but he quickly covered hers.

'_Okay, this is starting to get annoying…' _she thought, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

Mathias blinked and smiled, looking down the right of the shore, "This way," he stated.

"What are you talking about?"

"We're going to find a boat," He replied, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along as they jogged down the beach. The blond haired girl couldn't get a word edgewise with Mathias pulling her with him like he did. She watched him punt a crab that had scuttled on to his path out in to the sea.

They had jogged down a long stretch of shoreline until she finally saw it. It was a moderately sized vessel, big enough for the two of them at least and maybe a third. They came to a halt and Mathias immediately jumped aboard without even inspecting the beached boat of damage or even passengers, but Clover was smarter than that.

She walked around the boat, running her hand along the hull, but she found no damage. She stepped back looking for any indicators that this was a pirates vessel but there was no jolly roger, no writing. Nothing…

Mathias laughed as he came back in to view, leaning on to the boat's railing, saying "It's sound! Come aboard!" He held his hands out to her.

Clover rubbed her arm, glancing about, "Doesn't it seem odd to you?"

"What are you on about?" Mathias asked.

"It's a boat just sitting on the beach with no one guarding it; something doesn't feel right about it," She said, "Doesn't this seem the least bit suspicious to you?" She was asking Mathias Ripper if something felt off about it all, but she had already asked.

He shrugged, "Free boat, free supplies already on board…" He held out his hands and lowered and raised them as if they were tipping scales, "Free boat or leave because of Clover's suspicions…" He hummed earning a very annoyed glare from his new doctor. One hand vastly outweighed the other in seconds, "You lose, let's go!" She opened her mouth to protest as he grabbed her wrists but her words fell upon deaf ears as Mathias pulled her onboard along with her supplies she had packed away.

"Stop doing things like that!" She shouted, adjusting her glasses that had gone askew.

"Then make up your mind faster," Mathias retorted, petting her head. Clover flinched back and opened her mouth to verbally lash him, but then stopped. She weighed her own options in her mind: Kill the bastard now or sail around with him and see what's going to happen…

Though it was incredibly appealing the one left her with no way to leave as she had absolutely no experience in sailing so the choice was pretty obvious…

Clover sighed.

"So, what is our plan now?"

"Get this thing in the water and start sailing before the coppers show up," Mathias replied. He looked down at her, "What do you know about sailing?"

Her eyebrows rose and her mouth opened slightly, "Uhm… Uh … I thought you knew what to do…"

He held up five fingers, "Drink, Fight, Kill, Sing and Fuck, those are the things I know how to do. When my band traveled someone did the sailing for us, navigating too…" Clover blushed slightly at the last of them and adjusted her glasses once again. She cleared her throat…

"Ahem – I don't know anything about sailing…" She facepalmed. Was he total idiot or what? He expected to be a _Captain _yet he knew absolutely nothing about running a ship. She had been traveling from island to island for time trying to keep under the Marine's radar and her activities out of their sight so granted she should've known something about the subject but still that didn't excuse his idiocy!

Mathias looked up just as thunder passed; high pitched whistling could be heard in the distance.

"We'll learn…" He smirked, "As much as I'd just love to slice open someone's neck with my new toys we should go…" He jumped down.

* * *

With the right incentive, being to escape the beach before the police force arrived; Mathias and Clover were able to get the boat in to the water. That in all honesty was the easy part. Minutes turned in to hours which were spent trying to work the sails and rigging, despite the mast being maybe twice either of their heights and looking rather simple it didn't stop Mathias from being hung upside down twice and nearly being hung by his neck on the third. Eventually though they did manage to work it, as well as the rudder at the back of the ship.

Now they were on opposite sides of the deck. Mathias was busying himself sharpening his new bayonet swords, of which he had four, with one another. He smirked at the reflection of his eyes in the steel. Clover was leaning back against the railing with one of her novels in hand.

She flipped a page, "Mathias…"

"Yes, my lovely?" He replied, not looking up from his weapons.

She snapped her book shut, "I saw what you did against those police officers," she looked up with a knowing look, "If the memory eludes you, you had snapped your fingers and two officers were thrown off of their feet."

"…And?"

"I'd like you to explain."

Mathias chuckled, "Oh I never divulge information…" He smirked, "Not unless I'll receive information of equal importance in exchange."

"What do you want to know then?" Clover asked, folding her arms under her chest. She didn't like the look in Mathias' eyes… She had never liked the look in his eyes and she had only met him hours ago.

"What did you do to that man in the bar? He dropped like a rock," Mathias said, tossing one of his bayonets in to the air where it flipped and the wooden grip landed safely in his hand, "And I want to know how your eyes light up like that."

It was Clover's turn to smirk. Her eyes lighted to the light blue hue and she slowly raised her hand, pointing to the sky, "Look up…" Mathias did just that and for the first time, his eyes widened in shock and wonder. His mouth fell ajar and his weapons fell out of his hands. The sky, once light blue, was now blood red and the clouds had turned black as coal. He watched as green lightning pierced higher in to the heavens instead of coming crashing down upon the earth. Of all the changes, none was more shocking than the massive leviathan that was slowly propelling itself through the sky with its tale. It appeared to be a massive wale but white in appearance and but it also possessed the fins of a shark and rows upon rows of blood-stained gnarled teeth.

"Holy…" Mathias murmured, but 'Unholy' would've been more appropriate. Clover smirked, the glare of the dark red sun hiding her eyes. The airborne leviathan turned down and came down upon them in a nose dive. It roared and released a powerful roar. He could feel the hot breath on his skin and the rancid smell wafted in to his nose.

It smelled of death, blood and decay…

Of all things that could've been done in a situation such as this Mathias grinned widely.

With a snap of her fingers the illusion vanished in an instant. The world returned to its normal state, "The Nori Nori no Mi, it allows me to create illusions and manipulate people's minds in to making them see what I want them to see. I can even break them like that troublemaker in the bar."

"That was pretty coo -" He stopped as Clover groaned quietly, pinching the bridge of her nose. Normally he would flick the person who interrupted him but… He couldn't very well act the same way he had around his former band around the new one, "What's wrong…?" He asked.

"The more complex illusions like that one give me a bit of a headache the longer they're used…" She looked up and smirked, "Do you _care?"_

"Nope," Mathias stated flatly, looking away to the front of the ship.

Clover still smirked. Once her mild headache passed she gave him a pointed look, "All right, now it's time for you to tell me your little secrets."

"Hmm…" He scratched his chin while he looked up at the sky, "To put it simply… I ate a Devil Fruit… The Onsei Onsei no Mi and it allows me to manipulate sound frequencies." He stood and without looking held his arm over the side, pressing the tip of his thumb to the pad of his middle finger, "Observe. Sound: Burst!" He snapped his fingers and in the blink of an eye water burst up in a short wave.

"Snapping my fingers lets release a powerful burst of sound, that's what you saw me use against the po-po," He explained, "And I have a bunch of other little nifty tricks up my sleeve as well."

"You're a musician who can also manipulate sound…" Clover mused and then her mouth turned up in to a smirk, "You are scarily lucky. Out of maybe hundreds of Devil fruits you got the one that goes along with your profession."

Mathias chuckled, "You could say that. I actually could not sing before I ate this devil fruit but since it allows me to manipulate sound, I just changed my voice a bit and viola…!" He threw his arms out wide, "You have the living masterpiece with angelic vocals that is moi!" He grinned smugly.

"Is that how you manipulated those people?" She asked. Seeing the confused expression on Mathias' face she adjusted her glasses and continued, "People had cheered when you committed cold-blooded murder. You sung before both times."

Mathias smirked, "Hehe, what a clever girl you are… Yes and No…" This caused Clover to frown as the orange haired rocker began to wag his finger, "You revealed only one secret to me so I only revealed one to you. I'm a man of many and you shouldn't expect to share all of them for one of yours."

He continued "My voice is rather… Hypnotic…" He chuckled darkly, running a hand through his hair, "Using the right frequency of my voice and a little something extra I can make people forget…" He took a step forward, "I can make them saddened…" he took another step, "Angry… I can instill fear in the right conditions…" Clover backed away but found herself against the railing in half of a step. Mathias was upon her, hands on either side of her on the railing. He leaned and licked the rim of the shell of her ear.

"My favorite is I can make them…Horny…" He whispered hotly, nipping at her earlobe

"Nng…" She craned her neck away but to no avail. She gasped lightly the tips of his teeth against her neck.

"But that is specifically for the ladies," He stated with a grin though she couldn't see it, "It's so easy… Tapping in to people's emotions and feelings…" He told her, "You'd be surprised what the right sounds could do. If they know about it or are too smart for their own good then yeah, it's a lot more difficult but that's the beauty of being a rock sensation," He took his teeth away, leaving small red marks in her flesh. He cuffed her chin and tilted her head up, locking eyes with her.

"When all the girls and boys are screaming their heads off, their resistance is so much lower…" He grinned, not only at himself but the light blush that dusted Clover's cheeks. He brushed his thumb along her bottom lip. He leaned in ever so slightly and if it were possible his grin widened just as he felt the thin edge against his neck.

"That'll be - enough of - that," Clover stated in between light pants. She applied pressure to his neck with her scalpel, "I suggest you learn of personal boundaries before I take this scalpel and use it on a much _lower _region…"

"Hehehehehe…" Mathias raised both of his hands slowly as he backed away from the blond haired woman, "Calm down, calm down," He told her. Once he was on the opposite side of the small vessel she lowered her weapon and slid the scalpel in to its place on her belt.

Mathias folded his arms over his chest, "Soon enough you'll fall for me like all of the rest. No woman can resist me for long."

Clover smirked and scoffed, "Yes, if you say so, but just remember…" She made a cut-throat motion, dragging her thumb across her own neck and then made a quick motion over her nether regions. She pointed directly towards him, "That will be your fate if you ever try that again." She turned away and grabbed the burlap backpack she had brought with her. Crouching down she started to lay out its contents. Underneath a stack of neatly piled clothing she had several jars with her all of which held a brain floating in that same strange green liquid. She brought out several containers of various chemicals and booze.

"All right! Drinks!" He reached for one but received a sharp smack to his hand causing him to yank it back, "The fuck was that?" He snapped.

"Those aren't for you!" She replied, "I have to replace the liquid in these jars now and again to keep the brains in good condition." Mathias made a face that was some combination of a pout and sneer. He crouched down and watched as she took off of the cap of one and replaced it with a strainer like lid. She poured out the liquid contents of several jars before beginning to mix the chemicals, inspecting them now and again until they finally turned the same shade of green.

He picked up one of the jars with a brain already inside, "Be careful with that!" She said, making a grab for it but he held it over his head and out of her immediate reach.

"This liquid stuff… Is it flammable?"

Clover paused after replacing one of the brains, "I wouldn't know… I never tried it before…" She looked up at him, "I mean these chemicals are all flammable on some level I suppose…" Her eyes widened considerably as she took the nearest jar and hugged it to her chest, "Why are you asking?" Her voice held a bit more urgency.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Just wondering. You never really know when we need to burn some mother fuckers…" He grinned at the mere thought of it, "Shit, I don't know what I was thinking. Fire is always fun, Donny picked the right profession."

* * *

**-Elsewhere-**

"SOMEBODY PUT THE FUCKING FIRE OUT!"

"Fucking hell! Where are the damn fire extinguishers?!" Havate was having a time as a large bonfire was started in the kitchen and it had quickly spread in to the mess hall and appear to be stopping any time soon. Several men with buckets, with no quick ways to water and the sprinkler system 'Broken' thanks to the previous owners, were carrying in buckets of sand to try and control the blaze.

Tiny sat by reading a newspaper. He flipped a page, "Put Donny on kitchen duty they said, I warned them… I'm up to my tits in morons…"

"Goddamn it, Donny!"

"Hahahahaha!" the beady-eyed arsonist cackled, jumping up and down with utter elation as he watched his newest creation, "FIRE! Burn Burn Burn!" His joy was halted briefly by a sudden sneeze before he clapped his hands, returning to his joyful cackling.

* * *

"You're not going to destroy my collection! Never!" Clover shouted, her voice a bit more high pitched. She hugged two jars to her chest.

"Ah I miss those guys… Except Grif…" Mathias sighed, blankly staring at the brain. He had completely ignored his Doctor. He was snapped from his day-dreaming when the jar was suddenly snatched from him. He quickly discovered it was Clover, looking none-to-happy and a tad confused.

"What were you muttering about?" She asked.

"Hmm? – Oh, nothing really, just thinking about some old friends…" He watched as she packed away her supplies, "You finished with that whole exploding brain thing already?"

Clover sighed exasperatedly, "I swear you have the attention span of a squirrel. I was replacing the embalming liquid to keep the brains fresh, yes, I am done with that and don't you dare think of trying to burn my brains!"

Mathias smirked as he watched her, more specifically her rear, as she walked away and disappeared in to the captain's quarters, closing the door behind her. He nodded his head, "I'll find out eventually," He bent down to collect his bayonets…

"KYYAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

When an ear-piercing shriek caught his attention! He reached the door in seconds and pulled it open only for an unconscious Clover to fall at his feet. He deadpanned down at her and looked within the Captain's quarters. No enemies, nothing that could have possibly been scary enough to knock her out. There was the skeleton covered with blackened and greenish rotting chunks of meat and flesh laying in the bed…

He looked down at her, "Is that it? A bloody damn skeleton and you're out like a light? That is… pretty sad, love," He sighed, shaking his head but he received no response.

The only real indicator to her still being alive was the slow rise and fall of her chest.

Mathias reached down and briefly squeezed one of them, "Huh, nice, they're real…" He stepped over her and went about wrapping up the skeleton.

* * *

**-Unknown Location-**

"King! King!"

The supposed 'King' was busying himself rapidly assaulting a duct-taped punching bag. He jumped in to the air and delivered a powerful knee and yet another. He kept his hands up and slid back, lashing out with a strong kick. The punching bag swung back. He threw a strong right as the calls reached his ears and his fist tore through the point of impact and out the other side.

He grumbled underneath his breath as he pulled his arm free, sand began to pour freely from the twin gaping holes in the punching bag. Yet another ruined, no amount of duct tape would save it…

"What do you want?"

"The scouts, the reported that Kazemaru's messenger is on his way back!"

"Eh, another one?" The King replied, walking up to the stark white throne positioned in the center of the room.

"No sir! It's the same one!

The King stopped, "The same one…?" He parroted, glancing over his shoulder, "Do you want to explain to me how that's possible, shithead?"

The messenger jumped back, audibly gulping, "Sir!" His voice cracked, "Ahem! – Sir! I cannot tell you how, but it has the same sails and all, but there appears to be someone different onboard, they didn't intercept them," the messenger explained. The King stood some feet from his throne, silently contemplating. He finally moved forward from his spot and claimed his seat.

"Which side of the island are they heading towards? Is that in the report?" He asked.

"If they remain on course then they'll reach the East side dock some time tomorrow."

In the light of the torch flames, the King's teeth were illuminated as he grinned widely, "Well then, give them a proper Higaru Island welcome! Let's see if they'll put up a better fight than Kazemaru's last messenger."

The messenger bowed, grinning just as wide as his King, "Right!" He ran off.

* * *

**Translations...**

**Onsei Onsei no Mi - Sound Sound Fruit, Onsei can also mean Voice so... there you go.**

**Nori Nori no Mi - Translates to Mind Mind Fruit. **

* * *

**Corii: Okay, that's the end of the chapter!**

**Barry: Ah, you gotta love Donny. I thought I would cameo my new favorite pyromaniac. So, things were explained, Clover fainted and Mathias… Was Mathias… Yeah…**

**Corii: Ehehe, serious stuff with some comedy thrown in.**

**Barry: Yeah, I'm an Action guy through and through but I try with these kinds of things. Hope you guys liked it **

**Corii: Later!**

**Barry: Have sweet nightmares, watch out for the color orange!**


	6. Bloody Welcoming

**Chapter : Bloody Welcoming! **

**Shout out to Amazing Blue Fox and Cb O chan for picking up on my reference to None Piece, a One Piece parody by purpleeyeswtf! Check it out on Youtube.  
**

**And to answer you Corii's Sister, yes, Yes he is.**

**Without much else to say, Enjoy!  
**

* * *

"Ugh…Nnn…" Coming to a state of semi-consciousness her eyes opened ever so slightly. The dim light alone caused her to wince due to its brightness. She groaned quietly as she rolled on to her side. Clover slowly lifted herself in to a sitting position and glanced around; surveying the unfamiliar place she was in. Then the sound of waves reached her ears and she then remembered the boat, starting out on the seas, Mathias and the…

Her eyes widened considerably as her glasses went askew, "SKELETON!" She jumped to her feet with a scream and backed up as quickly as she could. She went out of the door and found her back against a firm surface though she knew nothing on the ship other than the mast, Captain's quarters and a certain orange haired man was taller than her… And she could see the mast and Captain's quarters.

"Awake I see, sleeping beauty," Mathias said, wrapping one of his arms around her waist. Clover physically flinched, nudging the taller man's chin. She grabbed his arm and wrenched it off of her.

"Don't touch me! How many times do I have to tell you?" She snapped, putting distance between them with a few quick strides before whirling around to face him.

Mathias shook his head slightly and approached her. Clover glared lightly as she looked up at him, at his amused smirk. He reached forward and before she could ask what he was planning or scold him for trying to touch her again, he flicked her forehead.

"Ah!"

"That was for fainting at the sight of the skeleton," He stated before flicking her forehead yet again, "And that was for not having the courtesy to faint outside, this boat is only so big and I had to move around a lot trying to get rid of that damned thing."

Clover opened her mouth to speak but instead yelped as he flicked her forehead a third time, "Ah! What was that for?"

Mathias leaned in with a grin and cuffed her chin between his thumb and index finger, "I'm a Sadist." Clover swatted his hand away and stepped back yet again. She adjusted her glasses.

"You got rid of that…" She shuddered, "Skeleton…?" She cringed at the mere mention of it.

Mathias nodded, "Yeah… Are you seriously scared of skeletons?"

"I'm not scared!" Clover replied almost immediately, "They creep me out!" Mathias' expression clearly told her he was still confused and his next question solidified this.

"But… You have to saw off the top part of the _skull_," He stated, "You have to deal with skeletons and bones."

"There's a difference, you buffoon! I only have to saw off the top part and toss it away and after that it's all a matter of taking the brain out of the skull. I never have to look at the skull any more than necessary!" She explained before shuddering again. She wrapped her arms around herself, "A whole skeleton is completely different and utterly repulsive. How are you not disturbed by them?"

He shrugged his shoulders in response, "I just think of skeletons as corpses, which I'm used to seeing… You know, without all of the meaty bits… or organs… or flesh… Oh but that one you found, that actually had some meat on the bones. Purple and green, it was as cool looking as it was disgusting." Green was the same shade Clover's face began to turn as he described the scene she had been lucky enough to only see for a split second, but his detailing wasn't helping her forget. She grimaced and turned away.

"Ugh… Stop, I beg you…" She groaned.

Mathias scoffed, "Geez, you keep a few floating brains with you and you are fine and dandy but one little skeleton with some rotting meat on its bones and you're ready to vomit… By the way do that overboard because I don't and won't clean," He pushed her lightly towards the railing, "Tch, women."

Clover groaned quietly, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Ugh, will you just shut up for five seconds you idiot… You and your yammering are giving me a headache…" And the disgusting picture he had painted her mind wasn't helping ease it or her stomach.

"I'm just saying that if you're going to be a part of my crew then you had better learn to get over this crap and fast."

"It's a legitimate fear! It's not easy to get over…" She grew quieter towards the end.

"I thought you said it wasn't a fear?" Mathias said with a smirk, though she did not see it.

"Shut up!" Mathias was surprised by her shoving him away, "And stop touching me… I'm fine…"

He shook his head and finally sighed, "Throw up or do whatever it is you're going to do quick, there's a lot of crap in here that I need help sorting through it," and with that he disappeared in to the Captain's quarters.

Clover sneered, looking down at her reflection in the water below, _'I am really beginning to regret this… I have a legitimate fear and he's being an asshole about it – Though I don't know why I'm surprised about that…' _She began to inhale through her nose and exhale through her mouth. Her stomach began to settle when she caught sight of something dark trailing along behind the boat. Her eyes narrowed and she reached for her weapon…

"What is -" She paused. Her face paled considerably, "EEEEIIIAAAAAAAH!" She dropped everything and even left a trail of smoke in her wake as she disappeared in to the Captain's quarter's, slamming the door shut behind her.

"What the hell?"

"Eeeeeh! The skeleton is out there!"

"I got rid of it!"

"Get rid of it better this time!"

"Stop being a baby!"

"It's fucking creepy!"

"Are you kidding me? Are you fucking serious right now?"

"Get rid of it!"

"Fine, just stop whining!" Mathias stepped outside. He was shaking his head as he hopped on to the ship's railing and walked towards the back, "Damn woman, who does she think she is bossing me around like that? She must be seeing things. I threw that piece of rotten garbage in to the water and watched it sink, there's no wa – Oh would you look at that," His tone went from annoyed to casual in an instant once he saw the skeleton for himself. It had been snagged near the back by the bed cover he had wrapped it in.

"Persistent little bastard…" Now the question was how to do this and not fall in to the water…

* * *

**-Hours later-**

"Goddamn that was one persistent, dead bastard!" Mathias exclaimed as he walked in to the Captain's quarters after nearly an hour of trying to get rid of the skeleton. Poking it didn't work and neither did trying to stab it but finally he resorted to using his devil fruit abilities which had absolutely no effect on the water making it even more difficult to hit the skeleton, which had been nearly submerged, but he finally managed it. He noticed Clover rifling through papers in hand while she had multiple books scattered on top of the desk under its lamp.

"Find anything interesting?"

"I found documents that appear to be some sort of treaty or terms for someone's surrender but most of it is smudged out with dried blood. I came across the name 'Kazemaru' quite a few times too." She set down the pile of papers and flipped through pages of the books before finally picking one up and holding it out to Mathias, "This is a log book with arrivals and departures from the places this person had visited. The latest entry isn't complete," She pointed to said entry, "There's an arrival time but no departure and it wasn't very long ago at that."

Mathias took the book while she continued, "The rate of decomposition isn't right either, not from that point in time. It had to have been some person… or persons…" She adjusted her glasses, "Otherwise how would the body have gotten back here in this kind of state."

The orange haired man looked up and blinked, "… By interesting I meant checkbooks, bank account numbers, belli, gold and or silver items, you know, anything of monetary value…" Clover deadpanned and he shrugged, "But this is good too I suppose…"

Her right eyebrow twitched in annoyance. She could feel another headache coming on and a distinct wanting to cut something, specifically anything orange. Her hand was visibly shaking ever so slightly as she raised her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. She inhaled slowly and exhaled through her mouth, reciting a mantra within her mind, not that Mathias took notice of her actions.

'_Be Calm, he's a dumbass… Yeah, that's it… Everybody gets one… Be Calm. He's a dumbass. Be Calm. He's a dumbass. Be cal -'_

"Did you bring any food?"

"I thought you said there was food when we found the ship…?" She replied, not looking at him and continuing her breathing.

"Yeah, but I ate it all while you were unconscious."

'…_.. Yep, definitely a dumbass, undoubtedly…Well, it wouldn't be the first time I murdered someone who pissed me off.' _But now that she thought about it, she had left her sword outside on the deck after her little episode.

Clover exhaled one final time, "You ate all of the food so it's your responsibility to catch fish for us to eat."

"Catch fish?" Mathias asked, sitting down at the desk and looking through the book.

"By _fishing…_?" She stated, looking at him oddly, "You know what fishing is… don't you?"

"Heard of it…" He replied while shuffling through papers, "I've never done it personally..." An audible slap reached his ears but he didn't look up, if he had he would've seen Clover with her palm against her forehead and the reddening mark once she brought her hand away.

"You've _heard _of fishing? But you haven't _done_ it? How is that even possible?" She asked, utterly astonished. Even she had been fishing at least once… She hadn't enjoyed it, but still! This world was covered more so by ocean than land and Pirates were out at sea for weeks a time maybe, what did he expect not knowing how to fish?

"Yeah…" Mathias replied, a bit more detached as he continued to search through the papers and books that were strewn about. Clover gaped at him. She had attempted to keep her composure she really had but this news was just a bit too much for her.

"H - " But Mathias answered her before the question left her lips. "I told you. I only know how to Drink, Fight, Sing, Kill and Fuck…" the last one caused her to blush yet again and he continued, "I wasn't kidding about that…" He began to quiet down. He leaned back in the chair and hummed quietly to himself looking in one of the logs.

"What is it?" Clover asked, trying to change the subject before she lost it due to his sheer stupidity.

"Higaru Island seems to be popular; it's in here multiple times and the others as well. There are almost always one or two month intervals between the arrivals…" He showed the other books, "Not only that but the last entry of some others are also Higaru with no departure dates."

Clover quirked an eyebrow and looked in to the books he was referring to, "I hadn't gotten to these yet…" Her eyes surveyed the others, "And look here. There doesn't appear to be a pattern but one moment there is no departure date and then some weeks later there is and then yet again there is no departure date. There are months between each of them, some are a couple weeks."

"The logs also belong to different people but there's this same symbol… Look," Mathis flipped several to the back of the front cover. Indeed the names were different. But there was the same insignia under each of the neat signatures: a large, calligraphy 'K' in a pentagonal shield.

"The K could stand for Kazemaru... Or a name I haven't come across yet..." Clover hummed quietly, contemplating, mulling over what they had found, "The latest is this one here… Whoever this was they had arrived at Higaru Island a little over a week ago. Maybe the - " Clover gulped, "Skeleton is this Kazemaru fellow mentioned in the documents?"

Mathias shrugged, "Maybe… The recent log book doesn't say it belongs to a Kazemaru though," he said, pointing out the name.

"He could've been using books from messengers he had hired in the past," Clover suggested.

"Sucks to be him then…" He sounded detached, looking between the names of Higaru in the books.

"Higaru Island…"

"What about it?"

He shrugged yet again, "It sounds familiar but I can't quite place it…" He scratched his chin in though while he looked up at the ceiling, "Ah, it pisses me off when something is familiar like that and I can't figure out how…"

Clover leaned back against the desk. She folded her arms under her chest, "You and your former band traveled a lot didn't you?" Mathias nodded, "Then isn't it possible you performed there?"

"… I suppose so, yeah…" He chuckled, "Comes to show you what nights of drinking, partying, fighting and accidentally setting strange looking grass on fire will do to one's own memory," He folded his arms behind his head and sighed wistfully, "Ah yes, good times."

"Strange looking grass?" Clover asked.

"Yyyeaaaah, you see, we, as in me and my band, stopped at this island on our way to a major concert somewhere near the Grand Line and to make a long story short, _someone, _I won't name any names, may or may not have been all kinds of smashed and utterly drunk and accidentally dropped their lighter near some strange looking grass."

"…Was it you?" She asked.

"Yep. Oh man that was one wild party!" He said as he threw his head back and laughed heartily. Clover slowly shook her head. The orange haired man seemed to take the 'Rocker Life-Style' to the extreme and then some. She knew he was crazy; she had picked up on that right away but now? She had a few options before, but more than half ended with one less person on the boat. Said person was not a blond…

"I'm gonna go outside, get some air…" He stood and made his way to the door. He raised his hand and lightly smacked the arc of the door-frame when he stopped and turned his head to smirk at her over his shoulder, "Oh, and the big bad skeleton is gone now." He ducked just enough for a hard cover book sailed over his head and he laughed as he jogged out, dodging more projectiles that were thrown his way courtesy of the miffed Doctor.

She slammed the door shut leaving him outside all by his lonesome.

"So sensitive…" He jumped back high in to the air and landed in a crouch on top of the Captain's quarters. His eyes narrowed looking out at the horizon. He folded his hands over his eyes, shading them from the light. The horizon certainly looked darker than before but it easily could've been a trick of the light.

But then again…

"Hey sexy!" Mathias shouted, pounding on the roof, "Land ho! Land ho!"

"What did you just call me?" Clover shouted back.

"I mean I see land!" He didn't receive a response for some time which brought a grin to his face. It was always fun to burst someone's angry bubble.

"How far out?" She finally responded.

"Uhmm… Maybe half a day… We might be there by morning if the wind is good to us…? I can't tell," He was a killer and a rock n' roller, not a Navigator. He hopped down from his perch on the roof and entered the Captain's quarters.

"I could've been changing you know," Clover scolded him while she was busy putting her things away.

"…So?" Mathias asked.

"… Never mind," Clover finally said after a moment of silence. The orange haired man shrugged and went about picking things up and going through the cabinets of the kitchen connected to the bedroom, "Mathias, you said we'd reach land in half a day or so?"

"Yep, maybe."

"I suppose I'll sleep then," She said, slipping off her shoes, "I have nothing better to do."

"I'll join you then," Mathias said. She stopped in her tracks.

"…What?"

"I'll join you," Mathias restated, "There's only one bed and don't expect me to sleep on the floor."

Clover glared at him before she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Fine fine, but I'm only going to warn you once. If your hands make their way on to any part and I mean _any part _of my body, Mathias, I'll be adding your brain to my collection."

"Tch, whatever you say, woman," Mathias said, pulling off his shirt.

Clover had her reservations about sleeping in the same bed that a skeleton had previously been in but she would manage. She took off her glasses to set them on the night stand when the sound of a zipper coming _undone_ reached her ears. She whipped around to see Mathias sliding off his pants.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Huh?" He stopped and looked at her with a blank expression, "I prefer to sleep naked, what about it?"

* * *

"OUT!" The door was flung open as Mathias was physically kicked out of the room. He hit the deck with a thud and rolled over himself, landing on his back. He stared at the afternoon sky briefly before his shirt was thrown on to his face, "Ugh! Dirty pervert! Don't get any smart ideas!" And with that an irate Clover slammed door shut. He heard the sound clicks of the lock.

He sighed.

"… Wow… What a bitch… " He pulled his shirt off of his face and looked around, turning his head side to side not bothering to get up. He spied one of Clover's duffle bags and smiled.

* * *

Mathias was thrown forward by the boat's sudden abrupt halt. He managed to catch himself and lift himself on to his feet. Clover came bursting out of the Captain's quarter's with her weapon in hand, her hair and overall appearance a disheveled mess.

"What's going on?"

"We've hit land…" and indeed they had. Half of the boat was now on dry land. Clover covered how mouth and grimaced as a foul stench wafted up in to her nose. Mathias stumbled up to the front of the boat and hopped up on to the railing in order to get a better view of their surroundings. Though there wasn't much to see. For as far as he could see with tired eyes it was all empty, grey beaches and a few ramshackle houses that looked as if they were abandoned and had been for years. The immediate area was lifeless, grey and the dark clouds overhead didn't help the scene.

"Ugh… That stench is foul," Clover stated. She grabbed a bandana from one of the duffle bags she had brought with her and wrapped it around the lower half of her face, "That… helps…" She grimaced once again and shuddered.

"Smells like death… and shit…" Mathias added as he raised a liquor bottle to his lips, taking a few hearty swigs.

"Where did you get – Did… Did you steal that from my duffle?" She asked incredulously.

Mathias nodded, "Yep, I got thirsty. I'll replace it…" He took a couple more large swigs and sighed as he brought it away. He wiped the excess away with the back of his hand and smirked back at her, "Straighten yourself out, we should look a little presentable despite this shithole."

"Hmph, speak for yourself," Clover retorted, straightening her hair as best she could with her fingers. His hair on the other hand was wilder than before and only dressed in black pants he was less than 'presentable'. Mathias looked down at himself and chuckled.

"You've… You've got a point there," He replied, drinking more. He turned towards Clover, looking her up and down. For once his usual manic grin or his wry smile wasn't in place…

"What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, taking a step back. There had been plenty of instances where she hadn't trusted the look in his eyes and this was yet another one, but the look was different, it was something she couldn't place. Mathias started towards her causing her to back away as she always did but she only managed one step before she was stopped by his hand snaking around the back of her neck.

She was pulled forward and gasped, cringing at the same time feeling his sharp teeth dig in to the flesh of her neck. He added more pressure and for a brief seconds it became painful but that was when he pulled back. She attempted to get out of his grasp but his grip tightened on the back of her neck almost painfully as he pulled her closer, placing his forehead against hers…

"What – are you doing?" Clover asked. Her skin was prickling. Her hand was trembling next to her swords hilt…

"Clover…" Mathias started, his voice a tad deeper than usual, "That was a reminder that you're mine… Probably not the best time but it was a warning to everyone else not to touch what's mine, at least the men that is…" His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "And a warning to you. Don't go around giving other men mixed signals or I will be truly annoyed."

Her mouth slowly twitched up in to something of a confident smirk, a façade, but she hoped he wouldn't see it, "And – what if I don't acknowledge your claim?"

Mathias finally chuckled, very quietly but nonetheless, "I'm _very _possessive. When I get annoyed, I get a bit crazy and when I get crazy… It's not pretty…" He kissed her forehead. She flinched and attempted to pull back but his hand kept her in place, "I warned you, just remember that."

'_This fuck truly is crazy…' _She put as much distance between as she possibly could that moment his grip on her neck slackened, "Fine fine, you and your warning. Just stop fucking touching me," she snarled.

Mathias smiled as he slipped on baggy white sleeveless shirt, "You say that now but soon you won't be able to get enough of me."

"Smug bastard…" Clover murmured.

"Oi! Get down here!" A bodiless voice shouted. The two of them looked around but saw no one, but then their attention was caught by a green glass bottle flying up and shattering on the deck, shards scattering in every direction.

Mathias sighed, "Ah, Clover, bring some clothes and you guitar with you."

"Wh - " But he answered her.

"Just in case. Do as I said…" She inquired where he was going and he answered, smiling over his shoulder at her, "I'm going to go greet our new friends," and he jumped from the ship. He landed safely on the sand with bottle in hand and was greeted by the sight of three individuals, two male and one female, and none of them looked at all happy to see him. He waved…

"Hey there," Mathias greeted them.

"Get out of here," the woman snarled.

"Tell your boss he's done enough to this island already!" one of the men added as he held up his fist in a threatening manner, Mathias spotting the brass knuckles around his fingers. One word stood out to him…

"Boss?" Mathias laughed, "Ha! Mathias Ripper doesn't work for anyone!" He exclaimed, pounding his chest once before taking a swig from his drink. Clover peered over from her high ground on the ship's deck and they seemed to take no notice of her, but she spotted movement…

"Mathias! Look out!"

It was too late. Mathias received a debilitating blow to his head courtesy of one of the males wielding a two by four piece of wood. His head hit the side of the boat with a resounding crack, squishing him between the weapon and his own vessel. His arms fell limp…

"Shit!" Clover hissed. She jumped down and in one swift movement unsheathed her weapon and sliced the wooden weapon in half causing the wielder to fall on his rear in surprise. The man and woman still standing stepped back seeing the newest arrival.

"Mathias? Mathias, wake up!" She quickly kicked him while keeping her eyes on the three in front of her. A noise reached her ears, though it was faint over the waves it sounded almost like… sighing?

"Clover… I've got new lyrics…"He stated before he inhaled, "The chorus goes something like this…"

**(Italics are from 'Get Ready to Die' by Andrew W.K.) (I don't own it.)**

_You better get ready to die_

_Get ready to die_

Mathias began to sing garnering strange looks from the three who attacked them. "What the hell?" One of them asked and the orange haired rocker looked to Clover.

_You better get ready to kill_

_Get ready to kill_

He looked at the three and grinned manically…

_You better get ready to run_

_Because here we come…_

He reversed his hold on the liquor bottle and smashed the base against the ship.

_You Better Get Ready to Die!_

He lunged at the nearest man and rammed the sharpest point in to his adam's apple. The man opened his mouth in a silent scream and his eyes widened. Blood poured out as Mathias pushed the man back, pushing the jagged weapon deeper in to the his neck. In an instant he ripped the bottle from the man's neck, blood spurting out, gushing from the wide gash. He clutched at his neck and fell to the ground, convulsing with his mouth wide open in a silent scream of agony. Mathias raised the jagged bottle high and thrust down ramming it in to the man's chest, every sharp point piercing the skin.

And yet the man still didn't die. He stopped moving but he was still breathing if only a little. He bled out quickly and once he stopped moving all together. Mathias turned around and cracked his neck, grinning widely at the two still living, both of whom were frozen with fear, quaking in their tattered shoes.

"You fucking attack me out of the blue like that?" Mathias said, swiping his blood freckled bangs out of his face, slicking his hair back with the red life liquid, "You wanted to piss me off? Got a death wish, EH?!" His voice grew steadily louder, more manic. The two jumped and quickly shook their heads in the negative. The woman immediately ran away and as the man on his rear attempted to crawl, Mathias was upon him. He brought his foot down on the back of the man's head, smashing it in to the sand.

Mathias pointed after the woman, "She's yours."

"Can I take her brain?" Clover asked.

"I'd be insulted if you didn't."

It was Clover's turn to grin and she started after the woman at a steady walk. Mathias noticed his Doctor's eyes glow briefly and his grin widened hearing the fear filled shriek in the distance.

"That's my girl… I'm gonna tame that feisty little devil one day…" He looked down at the man who was struggling underneath his foot, his face buried in the sand. If it were possible, Mathias' grin widened.

He flipped the man over and brought his foot down heavily on the man's chest the very second he attempted to bring oxygen in to his lungs. The man wheezed and huffed and puffed, inhaling great gulps of air but it all seemed to leave him as Mathias leaned down, grinning widely, showing the man his teeth and his neon green eyes that were practically glowing with amusement.

"Hello, little pig-fucker that hit me in the face with piece of fucking wood, how are you?" The man whimpered. He opened his mouth but Mathias stopped him from uttering even one syllable. He punched the frightened man, landing a solid hit to his nose with a resounding crack. The man wailed in pain as blood ran from his now oddly angled nose. He struggled but was firmly stuck underneath Mathias's heel.

"Rhetorical Question! I don't give a rat's ass…" Mathias leaned in closer still. He grabbed the man's nose and caused him to wail louder than before by resetting his nose with a second sickening crack. He withered and writhed in pain, yelled in pain and crying for help until his voice cracked.

"I'm gonna enjoy this! You go and attack me like that?! You want to get crazy? EH?!" The man shook his head as rapidly as he possible could, whimpering protests but they fell on deaf ears. Mathias started to dig his heel in to the man's sternum, "It looked like you wanted to get crazy! It sure felt that way when you _Hit me in the Fucking Face!" _He chuckle watching the man snivel and whimper, muttering words in a jumbled manner, "You're not making any sense, man! You want to get crazy or don't you? Speak up!"

Mathias cuffed a hand around his own ear, "I'm not hearing it! It definitely sounds like a fucking yes to Me!" Before the frightened man could go any further he took his foot away and shoved his middle and ring fingers in to the man's nostrils where he proceeded to lift him off of the sand.

"Let's get crazy!" Mathias said with the grin of a maniac spread across his face from ear to ear. He turned on his heels and threw the man through the air.

The man screamed in agony as he sailed through the air. He hit the ground hard and rolled to a stop. Weakly he crawled on to his knees and flipped over, clutching at his own face.

Mathias laughed quietly, "Live and learn. Lesson one for all of the idiots: Don't fucking attack me out of nowhere."

"Mathias!"

"What do you want? Can't you see that I'm busy?"

"We've got company!"

"Fun!" He wiped the blood from his fingers and brought out one of his bayonet swords as he started for Clover. He dropped the severed nose on to the sand…

* * *

**-Elsewhere-**

"King! Kazemaru's messengers have arrived! They reached the east shore not too long ago, just as the scouts predicted!"

The King stared down at the messenger from his throne. Four lovely women wearing torn guard uniforms were with him, two sitting on the arms of the throne and two in his lap with his arms around their waists. Their hands moved along the contours of his muscles and kissed at his neck and massaged his shoulders. The King sighed.

"Is that it?"

The messenger took a step back, "Y – yes…"

"…It certainly could've waited," The king moved the women from his lap and stood up. He walked down the stairs and approached the messenger who began to visibly shake. He bowed low, putting his head to the concrete floor. The King stood over the messenger and he slowly raised his leg, "Never. Interrupt me you piece of dog-shit," The King growled. He brought his foot down and smashed the man's head under his boot. Blood and brain matter splattered across the ground and oozed away from his foot carrying along small skull fragments. He brought his foot out of the mess and wiped his boot on the back of the messenger's shirt.

"Weak trash, he had ample time to dodge…" He walked back to his throne and reclaimed his spot with the women.

"What are you going to do, King?" one of the women asked.

The King didn't answer right away but after some contemplation, he spoke, "I test them…" He grinned widely, "If they're strong then I'll deal with them. If they're weak then they're fish food like the last one." He glanced at the large rectangular glass tank that was stained and dirtied by blood and grime. It was filled with water and within were three larger than normal blood sharks swimming around.

* * *

**I'm going to say it now: This is 'Annoyed' Mathias. He tends to think people want to 'Get Crazy' and so he gets crazy, Hehehe. There are five levels to his anger: Annoyed, Frustrated, Pissed, Angry**

**And Unadulterated, Blind Raging Fury that awakens all fear you've ever felt and will ever feel in this life and the next.**

… **The last one might have been a bit over exaggerated but that is the gist of Level 5, it's scary.**

**So, that's Chapter 6 everyone. I had a lot of fun writing it, I hope all of you enjoyed it. Later, see you next time.**


	7. Asylum Games: Pt 1

**Chapter 7.  
**

**Yo! We're back! More awesome feedback and a lot of love from you guys! There was something I didn't bring up last chapter in the notes and if you like Donny the Pyromaniac then you should read this…**

So, shout out to Oxensteirna D. Yuki-Rin for this awesome idea. I've noticed how much you guys seem to love Donny the Pyro after his only One appearance and Cameo and after talking with Corii, we've decided that at some point we'll publish a short spin-off for **Donny the Pyro! **

I've got the plot in mind and what'll go down, all that really needs to be done is writing. It'll be relatively short and I'll be working on that in my spare time when writing for this slows down. **So be on the look out! **

**Warning: Graphic scenes of Gore and Blood. Don't think about it all that much and you should be fine.**

* * *

"They've arrived, my King," a woman stated, sitting in a seemingly man-made hole in the concrete wall with a telescope raised to her eye so she could survey the land, "And it seems they didn't take a liking to your gracious greeting."

"Tch, doesn't matter," the King stated, "They're on the east side just as predicted."

"Right…" He stepped away, "Let's see what Kazemaru sent this time around. Send up the flare and let their Higaru Island really start."

"As you wish."

* * *

**Beach...**

"You've got to love angry mobs!" Mathias said with a manic grin, lunging at the nearest two and spinning on his heels. The blade of his weapon sliced through their necks with ease as he passed between them. Blood sprayed out from the gaping wounds and gushed out between their fingers as they clutched at the wounds, staining their clothes red. Mathias blocked a large gush with his hand and threw the blood in to another man's eyes. Before he could recover Mathias rammed the sharp blade through his heart. The orange haired rocker ripped his weapon from the dead man's chest and threw his head back laughing madly towards the heavens.

Clover sliced through metal pipes as they were swung at her without even looking. Tightening her hold on her sheath she thrust it back striking a woman directly in her throat and ran her sword through the sternum of a man attempting to attack her with his fists alone.

She spun in place, tearing her weapon from the man's chest and bludgeoning another with her sheath, making contact with his temple. She crossed her sword and sheath, blocking multiple blunt weapons. She smirked as her eyes began to glow that familiar hue.

Their eyes widened, their skin whitened considerably. Those attempted to attack her from behind stopped in their tracks and dropped their weapons, they fell on their butts and began to whimper in fear. Those who had yet to come close to Clover turned and began to run as fast their legs could carry them, screaming bloody murder.

Mathias jumped in to her fray and began to slay them left and right. Clover did the same. They dropped like stones. Blood pooled underneath them in a great amount as severed limbs were thrown through the air, bodies were eviscerated and pushed aside by the killer so they could move on to the next victim. Some were bludgeoned, some who were near death were trampled on by others attempting to escape or stumbled as they themselves were cut down.

Lightning flashed overhead though there was no rain.

Mathias and Clover stood back to back, the orange haired rocker having taken the brunt of the blood splatter. The red life liquid of his victims had made a rather intricate pattern across his once white shirt.

With a flick of their wrists the blood was flung from their respective weapons. Clover sheathed her sword and took her glasses from her face to wipe away the smudges of blood. Mathias kept his bayonet sword in plain sight, sliding it between his belt and pants. He slicked his hair back with the blood and chuckled deeply.

"That sure got crazy fast…"

"I could say the same for you," Clover commented.

"They shouldn't have attacked me out of nowhere like that… I don't like that. It annoys me," He explained, stepping on the bodies and out of the large pool of blood. He glanced at her over his shoulder, "Are you going to collect any souvenirs?"

She shook her head in the negative, "No, that would be a waste of a perfectly good brain jar," she stated with a smirk. She put her glasses on and unlike Mathias, stepped over the bodies, though she didn't mind stopping on a woman's throat which was the last corpse in her way.

"Let's head in to town," Mathias said, "If we're greeted like this on the beach then I can't wait to have a meet greet with the townspeople."

Clover chuckled to herself, "I doubt I have much choice so yes, lets."

The two of them started towards the nearest road in to town at a steady pace, "You brought what I asked of you, right?" Mathias asked and Clover nodded.

"Yes, I packed clothes in with jars and I have my guitar right here," She held up her black coffin shaped case that held her instrument of choice, decorated with a skull with bat wings on the front. Mathias nodded in approval. Clover kept her arms at her sides with her sword gripped tightly in one hand and her guitar case handle in the other. Mathias had his hands stuffed in to his pockets, near his bayonets. As they went further in land and deeper in to town they noticed only subtle differences from what they saw on the beach, being more houses and more people, but the atmosphere hadn't changed much at all. It was grey, dismal and almost depressing. The houses were ramshackle and old with shattered or boarded up windows. People sat around in tattered, dirty clothing looking almost lifeless, staring at one thing or another with blank eyes. Heads turned in their wake and eyes followed them as they passed by.

"Tch, this place looks and smells like shit…" Mathias murmured, spitting on the ground.

"The smell is a bit worse in my opinion," Clover replied, making sure the bandana was secured around the lower half of her face.

Several fights were happening with small crowds watching and some were even cheering, though with less enthusiasm then one would expect. The most talking that was done was trash-talking and instigating that only started more fights. Money was passed around as people walked away dejectedly and others enjoyed the spoils of their successful bet. Both of them watched as a yellow flare shot high in to the air from somewhere farther inland leaving a trail of brightly colored yellow smoke in its wake that was no doubt visible for miles due to the stark contrast against the grey sky.

"You see that?" Mathias asked.

"Yes," Clover replied, "Did you notice it? It became much quieter all of a sudden…"

Mathias' lips turned up in to a smile, "We have company my lovely," He stated, "They've been following us for a couple minutes now, since we've started chatting."

Clover brought her hand up to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "I've noticed two or three moving in the alleyways. The ones that escaped us must've warned the people."

He chuckled, bumping her with his shoulder, "So much for my plan to not attract too much attention to ourselves."

Clover put a bit more distance between them after his playful bumping. She scoffed, "You had a plan? Color me surprised," The corner of her lips turned up in to a smirk, "And it was doomed to fail. You have orange hair, bright green eyes and you committed a bloody massacre on a beach not far from here, even without the massacre the other two points still stand."

"Well then…" Just as the words passed Mathias' lips several people stepped in front of them and one went farther, reaching towards them, "Then I'll stop with the playing dumb bullshit!" He quickly grasped his bayonet's wooden handle with his right hand and in one quick motion severed the man's hand at the wrist and used his free hand to block the spurt of blood that shot out, "I'll stop playing dumb and show them we mean business."

The man yelled in pain and fell on his rear, clutching the bleeding stub and attempting to stop the bleeding but with no success. No one moved to help him as he withered on the ground, merely cast him brief glances before setting their sights on Mathias and Clover.

Clover surveyed them. After the man's attempt none of them moved from their spots. She pressed her thumb against the guard of her sword and revealed a small amount of steel and glared in a threatening manner, she even allowed her eyes to glow but the people remained rooted to the ground.

"…Are they dead or what?" Mathias asked her, "This is fucking boring! I thought things were gonna kick off but this is bullshit if they're already dead!" He swung his free hand, splattering blood across their faces and clothes but they didn't even flinch.

"What's wrong with these people?" Clover murmured. Her eyes narrowed look in to the eyes of a woman in the crowd. Her eyes glowed but soon returned to normal, "Their minds and spirits are already broken it seems, they really are dead, more or less."

"Tch, fucking bull…" Mathias looked around at the crowd surrounding them them and stepped up to a man. In the blink of an eye he slashed the man's eyes and through the bridge of his nose. He crumpled to the ground clutching at his wound, he began to whimper and wither in pain but no one moved to help him either, "Well they can feel pain…" It was then that the crowd began to thicken around them. Mathias and Clover moved until they were back to back, or close to it as Clover flinched away but still remained close by.

"Try not to get hurt, I don't want to kill _everyone… _Just a large portion," Mathias told Clover, patting her rear and causing her to jump slightly.

"If you do that again you'll be the one getting hurt, to hell with these mindless peons," Clover threatened in a dangerous tone. Mathias merely chuckled at her remark and spun his weapon around his palm, reversing his grip.

"Okay…" He turned to look over his shoulder and just as he thought, the blood on his hand had left a dark red hand print on the back of her jeans, _'I left my mark anyway…' _He turned his attention to the mindless people surrounding them. Mathias raised his free hand and his grin widened as he pressed his fingertips together. The people advanced towards them.

"Sound: Burst!" He snapped his fingers.

In an instant Clover unsheathed her weapon and lunged at the nearest to her.

* * *

**Asylum...**

"They're faring well, my King," one of the women commented, one of two were not currently with the King at his throne, "Much better than Kazemaru's other messengers." She watched through her telescope as bodies fell one after the other and red was flung through the air, splattering across faces and clothes.

"YAAAAHH!" A manic cry tore through the air.

"Sounds like the orange haired one is having fun," one of the women commented.

The King smirked, leaning forward on his thrown, "Then this might be fun for me as well…" He stood up and walked in to the light as he moved closer to the hole in his wall. He was quite tall with dark skin, muscular as well. He eclipsed the two women. He leaned on to one of the edges and watched massacre as best he could from his position, "Send up the flare. They've made it far on their own so I want to see what they can do."

"Yes, my king," one of the woman said, running a hand across his toned abdomen as she walked past him.

"Your predictions, King?" the other woman asked.

"…" He was silent for a few moments. He did finally respond after spitting out of the hole in his wall to the ground below, "If they make it through the first room then they might be worth my time."

A green flare shot in to the air, casting a green glow upon them.

* * *

**With Mathias and Clover...**

Clover abruptly stopped with the cutting edge of her weapon barely in to the neck of what would've been her latest victim. She looked back over her shoulder to watch the green flare shoot high in to the air, _'Another?' _

"What the hell?"

That was Mathias' voice. She looked around and it was then that she noticed something peculiar. The mob of mindless people had stopped as well. All eyes were on the flare as it went higher and higher in to the sky before disappearing above the grey clouds. No one made a move. The people began to stir causing Mathias to ram his bayonet in to the heart of a man near him, but they didn't move to attack. The mob began to instead walk away from them, going to the sides of the street, leaving their dead and dying lying in the middle of the street. They lined up side by side with at least an arms-length between them.

Those lined up on the left raised their left hands and those on the right raised their right hands but the message was the same: They were all pointing straightforward, where Clover could see more people coming out of their homes and lining up in the same manner before pointing just as all the rest did.

"He's waiting for you…" one of the men stated in a monotonous, hollow tone.

"…The fuck is this?!" Mathias suddenly shouted, utterly confused.

Clover pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with her middle finger, "Obviously whoever is controlling those flares is the one we need to see. The yellow flare rises and they attack us, the green flare rises and they stop and do this."

"Well then…" Mathias started, "I suppose we meet the man in charge."

They steadily made their way through the path laid out to them by the people. Both of them, with their weapons at their sides and ready to jump in to action, switched their attention from the path to the people every so often, waiting for them to make a move. But they were seemingly lifeless. They stood there rooted to the ground, the only moving part of them being their eyes as they watched them walk.

"Can't you read minds with that devil fruit of yours?" Mathias asked, "Find out where they're really taking us?"

"Not now and not ever," Clover replied, "Besides, these people are so broken I doubt I would find a complete thought in their heads, let alone a mind to read". A single woman stepped out of line towards the end of their path and walked in to the middle of the intersection they were coming to. Mathias and Clover stopped and their tracks and the orange haired rocker raised his bayonet and ran his tongue along the blade edge, licking away the leftover blood. The woman made no move against them; instead she raised her right arm and pointed down the street to her right.

"He's waiting for you," She said blandly before walking back to her place in line.

Mathias took the lead as they walked to the middle of the intersection and looked down the road the woman had pointed out to them.

"…That's interesting," Clover remarked. It was nothing special, just a long stretch of dirt road with rotted and broken houses on either side. What caught their attention was as the road slowly went in to slight incline, at the very end standing tall was a massive Asylum made of black stone surrounded by a tall iron gate. The clouds seemed to be darkest over that place…

Mathias grinned from ear to ear.

"And our search continues…" He bowed lowly and held his arm towards the building, "After you, my lovely."

"Such a gentleman…" Clover remarked in a sarcastic tone, walking past him. Mathias smirked and watched her walk away before he started at a jog. Seconds later and he fell in step beside her.

"Clover, let me carry your guitar for you," Mathias offered out of the blue.

She eyed him warily before she posed the simple question, "Why?"

"Just let me carry it," He pushed the subject. Clover finally sighed and held her case out to him.

"If you damage it… Well, you should already know the consequences."

"Of course, of course…" He stopped and reached out, bringing Clover to an abrupt halt because he grabbed on to the rucksack on her back. He took it off of her and flipped it open as well as the case.

"Just what the hell are you doing?" She asked indignantly, rather miffed from his earlier man-handling.

"Making sure I don't damage it," He stated matter-of-factly as took out handfuls of her clothes and stuffed them in to the negative space between the guitar and the case itself. He placed several articles of clothing over the guitar before snapping it shut, "A little extra padding never hurt."

"Those were my clothes!"

"I forgot to bring my jacket, I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I fucking mind!"

"Oh… Sorry."

"Are you?"

"Of course not, woman."

Clover stayed rooted to her spot as she watched Mathias walk ahead. She just couldn't believe what had happened in the span of a couple of minutes. She quickly grabbed her rucksack which he had left behind and caught up to the orange haired rocker, making sure to jab him in the ribs with the butt of her sword hilt to show him just how annoyed she really was.

The walk up to the gate of the Asylum was an uneventful one. They passed more old, abandoned looking homes, brawls and gambling. The deeper they went inland and the closer they came to the Asylum though, the livelier the people became. Once lifeless, dull and seemingly dead on their feet they turned in to a rowdy, rambunctious crowd that was in their faces, or undoubtedly would've been had it not been for Mathias and his demeanor with help from Clover and her illusionary work. They finally reached the iron gates…

"Those bastards are so dead!"

"King is gonna murder'em like the rest!"

"If I hear one more comment I might have to get a little crazy…" Mathias murmured, running a hand through his hair.

"If you kill people for every asinine comment they make then we'll never make any progress, you and your _plans _included," Clover remarked, attempting to keep his attention focused on their current objective. Mathias inspected the building and scratched his chin.

"Well good news, I do remember this place," He pointed to the top of the Asylum, "My band and I played right up there! It was one of our first gigs! We had a pretty wild time, pretty much everyone on the island was there."

"Sounds like a happy memory," Clover said.

"No, the Asylum riot we started was the happy memory. That was pretty fucking awesome… Let's head inside, I want to greet the fucker who sent the welcoming committee." He raised his leg and thrust it forth, kicking open the gates with ease. He winced at the sound of the wretched creaking that it made as they swung open.

"Tch… That's vile…" He murmured, rubbing one of his ears.

"What?" Clover asked.

"That noise… That fucking creaking!" Mathias answered, "A downside to this devil fruit is that my ears are more sensitive to noises that it doesn't make so noises like that…" He stopped and slowly shook his head, "After you." He gestured for her to walk ahead.

"Your _gentlemanly _act is beginning to wear on my nerves more than your normal self," Clover remarked, adjusting her glasses. She walked up to the large double iron doors, ignoring Mathias' amused snickering. She noticed dark writing on the doors, 'Welcome' written in what appeared to be dried blood. Ignoring this as well, she raised her hand and the moment it barely pressed against the cold steel, the doors creaked open.

"Ah!" Mathias winced, taking a step back, "Fuck I hate that!" He snarled.

"Now you know how I feel when it comes to you touching me," Clover murmured, a smirk finding its way to her lips, very much enjoying the fact that she now had a way to mess with Mathias. The door fully opened and it was nothing but darkness, even with the dull light from the outside pouring it only one or two feet inside was visible to them. Clover took a step back, wary.

"I suppose I'll take the lead this time," Mathias said, walking past her, "Don't lollygag." Clover scoffed indignantly. He was in no position to say something like to her, not after his escapades on the last island. She followed him despite his remark. Mathias took a single step in to the darkness and it was then the room was illuminated, torches ignited one after another one both sides of the stone hallway. Their path was shown to them, but something more disturbing was brought to light. The hallway floor was littered decaying bodies, bones with chunks of rotted, maggot infested meat clinging to them. The walls and the floors, what was visible underneath the macabre at least, were caked in splatters of dried blood turned black by the light.

Clover took a step back, dry heaving as the overwhelming odor of death and decay finally reached her nose. Even Mathias covered his mouth, making a disgusted noise.

"Fuck, the shitty town smells like spring daisies compared to this… Ugh…" He spit on the floor and turned to Clover, "Take it in, you'll get used to it fast. We have to move further in."

Clover wretched and made sure to secure her bandana around her face, she grimaced looking in to the room. The smell wasn't the part she dreaded no matter how foul it was, it was the bones that littered the ground.

"I can't walk through there, not with those skeletons…" She shuddered.

Mathias turned around, "Don't be a fucking baby; it's just a few bones. Look!" He raised one of his legs and brought it down shattering several under his foot with resounding cracks, "Harmless. Now let's go."

The blond shook her head, "I can't. I refuse to go near that many bones."

Mathias sighed in an exasperated manner, throwing his head back and face-palming. He quickly walked out and set the case beside Clover. He flicked her temple.

"Ah!"

"You know exactly why I did that," He remarked before stepping forward and lined himself up with the center of the doorway. He worked his neck and shoulders. He balled his hands tightly to the point they popped. He held his arms out to his sides with his palms facing forward, "You should cover your ears, this is about to get loud…" He warned her, but with only a second to do as he said before he announced, "Sound: Thunderclap!" He swung his arms and clapped his hands together. A sound even louder than thunder was released, shaking the very ground underneath them and kicking up dust around them. A wave of sound tore through the room and sent the bones and bodies flying in to the walls, even creating a line of spider-web fractures from the entrance to the end of the room.

A path had been cleared for them.

"Happy now?" He asked her while shaking his hands, smoke rising from them.

Clover brought her hands away, "They're still there…" Mathias gave her a pointed stare, "But it'll suffice."

"You're damn right it will," Mathias said, poking her forehead. Clover flinched back and swatted his hand away, but he made nothing of it. He collected her guitar case and started inside with her trailing behind him. The room was plain with tiled concrete floors and plain slate grey walls and ceiling.

They reached the end of the short hall where they were greeted by a second set of double doors, words written in blood here as well.

"Welcome to the first room…" Clover read. It was then that the entrance doors slammed shut. She whirled around while Mathias kept staring at the doors.

"I suppose there is no going back now," She commented, adjusting her glasses.

"Fine by me, I didn't plan on going anywhere else today…" He raised his leg, "Knock knock bitches!" He kicked the doors, only these flew off of their hinges with a resounding _bang_

"Subtle…"

"I don't the meaning of that word!" Mathias said with a grin. Both of them peered in to the 'First Room' and like before it was pitch black, even the light of the torches only illuminated so much. Mathias' grip tightened on the guitar case's handle.

"There's something inside…" He picked up on the faintest of noises, "A lot of somethings…" A low, wheezing noise came from the darkness. A pale man with a gaunt cheeks and hollow eyes stumbled out with his arms outstretched towards them. Clover immediately reached for her sword's hilt but Mathias took care of the problem. He swung and smashed the guitar case in to the man's head, splattering blood on to the case as he was sent crashing to the wall. He slid down, twitching now and again.

"And that's why I added the extra padding!" Mathias said with a wide grin, "Pretty smart, huh?"

Clover deadpanned, "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Before Mathias could retort their attention was caught by a chorus of wheezing and groans. The room was illuminated revealing dozens of pale faced males, wearing what appeared to be prisoner uniforms and guard uniforms as well. With arms outstretched those at the head of the mob started for Mathias and Clover.

Clover lunged forward and thrust the butt of her sword hilt in to a man's jugular and while it caused him to reel back, he didn't stop. Mathias stepped forward and spun to gain momentum, he smashed two more with the guitar case and sent them tumbling, but then he caught sight of them and the first slowly getting back on to their feet.

"Well that's going to get annoying…" He said more to himself.

"Mathias!"

He was snapped to attention by Clover's cry and a hand grabbing the front of his shirt. He was pulled towards a group of the zombified males. More hands grabbed on to him and soon enough he was overtaken and surrounded despite his attempts to pull away.

"Dammit!" Clover hissed, drawing her sword quickly and slicing through the necks of two that made a move towards her. She bashed in the nose of a third that attempted to attack her from the side and quickly ran to assist Mathias, but she quickly found that it wasn't needed. The pile of pale bodies twitched over and over again as a noise slowly grew louder…

" – AaaaaaAAAAH! Get the Fuck off Me!" Mathias roared in a fit of rage, releasing a battle cry as he burst up from the pile, throwing several of his zombified attackers off of him. He grabbed them by their faces and handfuls of their clothes and tossed them away, he released a Sound: Burst in to the chest of another. He quickly whipped out his bayonet and stabbed back, running it through the forehead of one, killing him instantly.

"Fucking bastards!" Mathias hissed, "Now I'm annoyed!"

Clover smirked lightly, though she made sure to hide it from Mathias who continued to toss bodies through the air. She attacked swiftly with her sheath and sword, using the former for defense as she slashed and stabbed at them with her blade but they were incredibly resilient as well as persistent, they kept advancing towards her despite the damage she inflicted, forcing her to step back. The orange haired rocker grabbed the guitar case and ran full tilt in the crowd. He spun on his heel as he neared them and sent several flying with a debilitating smashing blow aimed for their heads. He slashed with his bayonet in his spin and slit several throats. The moment he stopped he tossed his bayonet in to the air and snapped his fingers, throwing a couple of their feet with a sound burst. He caught his weapon.

"They don't seem to want to go down easily," Clover stated, swiftly slicing off of the arm of one man and the leg of another but still they came at her, "Do you have any ideas?"

Mathias came to a stop in the middle of at least a dozen that were advancing on him. He was grinning widely nonetheless with manic look in his eyes, "I've got one!" He jumped in to the air and swung the case overhead, he brought it down in a smashing blow on top of a zombified man's head, flattening it in a splattering rain of blood, bone and brain matter.

"Kill'em Dead!"

* * *

**End.**

**And that is the first one of Mathias' two catchphrases. The second one will be revealed later.**

**Phew, this chapter was another pain in the ass trying to get it to flow like I wanted it to, but I think I made it work.**

**I am going to have another announcement and you will see it in Chapter 8 **** Until then, I'm tired, I love all you fans out there in spirit and I'm out!**


	8. Asylum Games: Pt 2

**Chapter 8.**

**Announcement: **So, the story is doing really good so far and I mean really good! I am so proud and I love you all for the support. Once Corii and I publish Chapter 10, we'll be taking another 2 week break so that *hopefully* I can get a backlog of chapters going. But again, that's not until Chapter 10.

* * *

"They don't seem to want to go down easily," Clover stated, swiftly slicing off of the arm of one man and the leg of another but still they came at her, "Do you have any ideas?"

Mathias came to a stop in the middle of at least a dozen that were advancing on him. He was grinning widely nonetheless with manic look in his eyes, "I've got one!" He jumped in to the air and swung the case overhead, he brought it down in a smashing blow on top of a zombified man's head, flattening it in a splatter of blood, bone and brain matter.

"Kill'em Dead!"

Clover and Mathias jumped back, knocking men aside so that they would not be overtaken from behind. Both of them dashed towards the mob and attacked furiously. Clover cut them down, bludgeoned them with her sheath, even going so far as to take her weapons to their groins. Mathias delivered smashing blows with the guitar case that broke bones as well as their bodies. He slashed wildly with his bayonet sword, severing limbs, slicing through flesh and spraying blood in all directions. He had the widest, manic grin spread across his face from ear to ear.

"Why – Nn! – Won't they – Die?" Clover was pushed back be their relentless advancing. No matter how much she cut them apart or how badly she wounded them, they never stayed down for long. Even as their blood flowed freely they still struggled towards her.

"Who cares?! It's more fun this way!" Mathias exclaimed, tossing the guitar case high in to the air freeing his hand so that he could bring out his second bayonet sword. He downed three just as the case came down on another's head, "No matter how much I slice and dice them, unless they're a fucking severed head they don't stay down! It's a dead man wonderland!"

While Mathias kept to his rinse and repeat of his smash and slash tactic with the guitar case and his bayonet sword respectively, Clover took a different approach. She jumped back and bent her knees, leaning down so that she was low to the ground. As a group of them advanced on her, she adjusted her glasses and dashed ahead full tilt. She slashed and severed several men from their legs at the knees. She continued to slash and felled a little over a dozen before the crowd became too much, causing her to retreat to the side.

"…Dammit," She murmured in annoyance. Even after taking away their legs the zombified males kept moving, clawing at the ground and dragging themselves towards her. She stepped farther back and readied herself, holding her sheath back and her sword in front of her.

"I have to ask, do you have any ideas of how to deal with these pests?" She asked.

Mathias laughed as he ran in to one of the men, sending him and several more to the ground in a heap. He smashed a few more and moved back until he was at Clover's side. He watched as most of them rose on to their feet again. His grin slowly lessened to a smile, but it was more strained than usual. While they had managed to slay many of the zombified males, there were still several dozen wanting to tear them apart and though they some were slowing down gradually due to some injury they sustained, they persisted.

"Tch…" Mathias scoffed. He set the guitar case on the ground and flicked the blood from his weapon's blade before he slid it between his belt and pants, "Clover, cover your ears. This might get a little loud." With ample time to do so now, she quickly sheathed her sword and did as instructed and covered her ears. Mathias inhaled deeply and exhaled and repeated this several times as the horde neared little by little.

"Whatever you have planned, I suggest you hurry!" Clover said rather loudly.

Mathias inhaled one last time, "Bloody Sound!" He released a powerful, high-pitched sound wave that threw several back. The sound gradually grew higher and higher pitched as the seconds passed. The bodies twitched, seized on the spot and dropped one by one. They spasmed wildly, convulsed and withered about. Blood spurted from their mouths, their eyes, noses and mouths. They clutched at their ears and beat their heads against the ground until the concrete cracked and their foreheads were bloody, black and blue.

Mathias finally stopped. He was red in the face, panting lightly. He spit on the ground.

Clover looked at the bodies with wide eyes, a mix of awe of disgust. She slowly uncovered her ears, "Mathias, what was that?"

"Eh…" His voice was a tad raspy that before. He rubbed his throat as he spit on the ground again, "A high-pitched sound-wave that scrambles the brain," Clover visibly winced at that, not liking the thought, "Just because these bugs' minds are broken doesn't mean that their brains are any less important to their function."

Now she was rather surprised, "That… was actually a rather smart plan… and a surprisingly smart response."

Mathias smirked, "I have my moments…" He spit on the ground once again, "Though I doubt I'll be able to do that again. That particular move takes quite a toll on my voice for some time."

Clover shook her head, "I doubt you'll have to," She looked around at the bodies as she stepped over them in to the room. The only movement she could see was the occasional twitching of limbs and eyes. It was difficult to tell if they were alive but that mattered little, it was a much bigger relief to have them down for the count and unable to continuously attack them. She also noticed fractures spread around the room, no doubt caused by Mathias' scream.

"That was quite something…"

The orange haired rocker smirked and patted her rear on his way past her, causing her to jump. He gave her thumbs up, saying "What can I say other than I'm just that awesome."

She shook her head still, "There's a thing called being modest, you should really try it sometime."

"Never heard of it."

"Why am I not surprised?" She murmured, though she was rather sure he had heard her. She fell in step behind him to his left. They made their way to the other end of the large square room where yet another pair of iron doors waited for them. Heavily rusted, Mathias pushed one off of its hinges with a rather light shove. They were greeted by a surprisingly clean torch lit space with a winding staircase. Without a word they started up with Mathias in the lead.

"Finally, I believe I'm growing used to that foul stench…" Clover sighed in slight relief.

"Yeah, but now there's something else… Why does it suddenly smell like wet dog...?" He grimaced, trying to shake off the smell but it was steadily growing stronger. They finally reached the top of the stairs in to a small rectangular room.

"Oh joy, another door…" Mathias said blandly. Written on the door in more dried blood was the words 'Second Room' and underneath it read, 'Don't feed the animals.'

"What do you suppose that means?" Clover asked, readying her sword. A bestial growl was her unexpected answer from behind the doors. The low rumbling noise was enough to lightly shake the floor underneath their feet.

"It sounds friendly, whatever it is," Mathias stated with a smirk, his voice still a raspy. He looked at the door, running one of his hands over it and scratching off some of the rust with his fingernail. He used his bayonet to stab the concrete frame to make a hole big enough for him to slide his fingers in to, "I'll just borrow this."

"I won't even ask," Clover remarked.

"See? Now you're starting to learn…" He kicked the doors open, both of them flying off of their hinges. Mathias lunged in to the room only to rushed headlong towards an open mouth filled with blood gnarled teeth. He smirked and tightened his grip on the steel door he had held on to before his entrance.

"Eat this instead!" He swung and made solid contact with the side of the beast's head, batting it out of his way as well. Clover jumped in after him, landing with one foot of his back. She jumped off in to the air and unsheathed her weapon as a grey blur dashed for her. She landed in a crouch in an after-slash position. The grey beast, a larger than life wolf, fell to the floor with a thud and its severed head came down shortly after.

"Well hello ladies…" Mathias greeted. There were twin women with grey torn clothing, the remnants of guard uniforms standing across from them in front of another pair of double doors. In unison they bowed.

"Welcome to the King's room of beasts," they said in unison, "Your next test…" They reached behind themselves and brought out white and black flutes. They placed their fingers and raised their respective instruments to their lips, "Begins now." They blew simultaneously and released a high-pitched note. Clover and Mathias turned their heads rapidly as loud growls emanated from all directions, large and heavy somethings smashed against the steel doors on both sides of the room with enough force to dent them from the inside. The twins began to play the same tune and the bestial growling became more frenzied. Seven doors came off of their hinges and seven wolves, equally as large as the first walked out.

They were much larger than any average wolf, maybe Clover's height. Their red eyes gleamed as they set their sights on their new prey. Some licked the lips, other lowered their heads in anticipation, ready to pounce and devour. The wolves created a semi-circle.

"I'm not a big fan of dogs…" Clover stated offhandedly, looking around at their latest enemies. Mathias stood straight up, tossing the dented and bloodied steel door away. He spit on the ground…

"I can take care of some mutts easily…" He coughed and raised his hand to rub his throat, "But I'll need a few moments before I can do it."

"How long will you need?"

"How much time can you give me?" Mathias replied.

Clover nodded, "I see…" She took off her glasses and moved until she was in front of Mathias. Her eyes changed to their lighter color. The wolves gnashed their teeth and growled threateningly, "I'll give you as much time as I can." She inhaled just as the largest and most feral of the wolves took a single step towards them. She exhaled just as the beast gnashed its teeth.

"Murder of Crows!" The wolves pounced, "Shifting Shadows!"

"What madness is that?!" one of the sisters gasped.

"How? A Devil Fruit?" the other asked.

The wolves stopped and shook their heads frantically. They barked and growled threateningly, they scattered and ran in different directions. Some skid to a halt and others kept moving in a mad rush, running in to other wolves. The alpha howled heavenward…

* * *

_-The Illusion-_

_Black shadows spread out from the man and woman's feet. Dozens upon dozens of crows burst from the black and circled the pack. Their heads whipped around, eyes darting about as they watched shadows move amongst the congregation of black feathers. No sound could reach their ears past the flapping of the crows' wings. Black feathers rained down and the moment they touched the concrete floor they became new crows that would join the rest. Red eyes glowed within the mass of black feathers and moving shadows but in an instant they were gone and a new pair would then appear in a different place._

_Crows crashed in to one another by the dozens and became crows as large as the wolves themselves. They would dive down and scatter in to their original selves upon contact. The shadows would gather underneath the wolves and form of a black mass that rose like a wave in the sea, large red eyes opened and glared down at them. It came crashing down, becoming one with the floor and disappearing like it was never there…_

_End_

* * *

"Mathias…" Clover gasped, taking a step back while she held her head, "I can't…" She fell to her knees, her eyes returning to normal. The wolves' heads snapped around and all red eyes were on them. They let out a chorus of growls and the alpha took the lead.

Mathias stepped in front of Clover, "You did good, plenty of time…" He inhaled, placing the tip of his middle finger and thumb in his mouth, "Bad doggies… HEEL!" He exhaled, releasing only a slightly whistling noise from his exhalation but the wolves came to a screeching halt. Their growls and barks turned to whimpers of pain. They held their ears, they rolled over on to their backs and thrashed wildly and some deemed it necessary to run headfirst in to the concrete wall over and over again.

The twins gasped seeing this, "A high pitched whistle…" one of them started.

"Only canines can hear!" the other finished. Mathias continued to whistle as he made his way over to them. They quickly brandished ice picks from their persons and came at him, but he delivered a swift straight kick to the stomach of one and a backhand to the face of the other. Their flutes fell at his feet with a clatter. He brought his foot down and shattered the instruments in to shards and splinters.

"Clover…" He called back to her in a slightly raspier voice, coughing lightly, "Get your sweet ass moving, we've got places to be and more people to kill." The blond haired girl shook her head, attempting to stave off the headache that was ailing her. She looked up and warily looked around at the group of wolves that were still recovering from Mathias' high-pitched assault on their ears.

"No way! These beasts will kill me!" She protested, "I won't do it!"

Mathias rolled his eyes and spat on the ground, "They won't, now move it!" He turned around to face and crossed his arms, "I don't have the voice to argue with you. If you don't get over here now then I'm gonna come over there and punish you. I will do it; no time is a bad time." Clover deadpanned. She didn't doubt that he would make good on his threat, he had done crazier in the last couple days. Still wary, she slowly got back on to her feet, wincing at the sudden throbbing in her head. She made her through the throng of wolves, step by step making sure not to stray too close to any of them lest they return to normal.

She found herself next to Mathias.

He smirked down at her, "See? Now as that so bad?" He teased.

Clover looked away, folding her arms under her chest, "Now I'm starting wish you hadn't regained use of your voice."

"Heh, well I probably won't be able to do something like that again. If I do have to use my devil fruit again, we'll have to make it count," He snapped his fingers at one of the wolves and it begrudgingly padded over to him, "You, get that guitar case there and bring it to me." He ordered. The wolf looked between him and the instrument case he had left behind and it did as it was told. It dropped the case at Mathias' feet and he ruffled the wolf's fur.

"Good boy, let's go Clover," they started for the doors.

Clover stopped. She turned her head to the sound of light groans and noticed the twins rousing, "What are we going to do about them?"

"Does it even matter, they're weak and they don't have their flutes. There nothing," Mathias stated, spitting on the floor yet again.

"True, but at the same time, I don't know about you, but I don't take kindly to those who sick beasts on me," Her words garnered growls annoyance from the wolf pack. Mathias smirked…

"I can add a ruthless side to the list of things I like about you now," He snapped his fingers twice, getting the attention of the pack, "Boys and girls…" He pointed to the twins, "It's lunch time! Sic'em!"

Mathias and Clover left the room and shut the door behind them just as a scream of agony tore through the air. It was abruptly silenced and drowned out by the sounds of tearing flesh from bone and the crunching of bones afterwards. The orange haired rocker chuckled as he made his way up the new set of spiraling stairs.

"There's nothing not to love about wolves."

"Except that you'd have an easier time trying to tame a hurricane than one of those beasts…" Clover remarked, but couldn't stop the smirk that came to her face, "But yes, they have their redeeming qualities." Her expression became its normal serious one and her demeanor changed, "So, what are your thoughts on the next room? How many do you think there are?"

"I'm hoping not too many otherwise fighting this 'King' is going to be a pain my ass," Mathias said, rubbing his throat. "…" He paused and looked off to the side away from the blond haired doctor, "How's… your head…? Your headache?"

Clover glanced at him, "It's better than before…" She would've given thanks for him asking and showing some modicum of caring but she was sure it would've been met with some smart-ass comment. The winding staircase seemed longer than the one before. They finally reached the doors…

"The Final Room…" Mathias patted the door and smirked, "That answer our questions, eh?"

"It seems so…" She leaned against the wall, "Do you mind if we rest for a moment before we take on this room?"

Mathias looked at her for a moment before nodding his head slightly, "Fine. But don't get comfortable," He leaned against on to the walls himself and coughed, wincing slightly while rubbed his throat, "Fuck…"

She patted the floor beside her, "Sit down and open up your mouth," She said in an ordering tone.

Mathias smirked, "Now shouldn't I be saying that to you? Hehe – Ow!" He jumped, Clover having just struck his thigh with her sheathed sword and she hit the side of his knee next.

"Sit!" She snapped, blushing slightly.

"Tch, fine… So sensitive," He sat beside her, "Now what did you want me to do again?"

"Open your mouth, I want to see if there's anything I can do to try and sooth the pain," She said as she brought out a small flashlight, "I have to inspect the damage you did. Hopefully it's none too bad that you won't be able to use your voice against this King person…" He opened his mouth as wide as he could and she got a grip on his jaw. She really took notice of how sharp his teeth were. All but four were canines. She didn't want to think about the damage they could cause, especially her… The marks are neck began to prickle with heat but she ignored the feeling. As best she could that is.

"Flatten out your tongue and say 'Ah'," And Mathias complied. She narrowed her eyes, "Some inflammation, I definitely wouldn't recommend using that screaming technique too soon. Something cool or general liquids should quell the pain a bit…" She looked for any other signs and then spied something… yellow on his tongue, "What is… Is that… A Tattoo?!" If it were possible to smirk while his mouth was wide open, Mathias would've been doing so. He stuck his tongue out to reveal he indeed had a tattoo on his tongue.

It was a yellow smiley face with red blood splatter on it.

"Nish Eh?" He asked.

She slowly shook her head, "That is… both foul and disconcerting… Why would you get something like that?" She let go of his tongue to allow him to speak more clearly.

"Well it was either this or the words, 'Eating Out Tonight?'" Her face became bright red in a matter of seconds and Mathias nodded, "Yeah, despite how much I loved that one, this one seemed… More classy?"

Clover made a disgusted noise as she got to her feet, "_That_, a bloody smiley face is _classy _to you?"

He shrugged in reply, "Depends, would you rather see this on my tongue if I ever stuck it out towards you, or the words -" And Clover quickly stopped him.

"Fine! Fine! I get your point just do not say those words again!" She snapped quickly, turning away from him.

Mathias smirked, "What a prude…" He brought out two small bottles of liquor from his pockets and downed them both in seconds after he popped the tops off, He sighed in relief, "Feeling ready for a fight?"

Clover kept her back to him, hiding the blush that was still tinting her cheeks. She exhaled, "Yes, let's move on."

He stood up and walked up to the doors with Clover by his side. In one swift movement he kicked them down and the final room was brought to light as was the large pendulum swinging towards them.

* * *

**And Chapter End.**

**We'll see you next time.**


	9. Asylum Games Final: Psycho meets King

**Chapter 9**

**Hey everyone! I am very sorry about the lateness! Nearly a **_**Month**_** you had to wait! This chapter was a bit of a pain to write because I just couldn't get inspired! But now it's here and we can finally get underway, we're nearing the end of the Higaru Island arc, but there's a bit more.**

**Warnings: Strong Language and a bit or perverted innuendo stuff.**

**Enough rambling. Enjoy!**

You're Going Down by **Sick Puppies **(I don't own this. Disclaimer!)

* * *

"Move…" Mathias shoved Clover aside while he stayed in place. The pendulum came down just to his left where the Doctor would've been standing.

Clover scowled, sweeping her blond bangs aside, "A little more warning next time would be nice."

Mathias glanced at her with a knowing look in his eyes and a smirk. The girl adjusted her glasses and huffed quietly, murmuring a 'Right' underneath her breath. Both of them looked in to the third and final room of their "test" and saw a dozen or so scantily clad women scattered about the room. One of them sauntered forward, swaying her hips in a seductive manner that made Mathias smirk. She stopped some feet from the door and leaned forward to show a gracious amount of cleavage as well as a red snake tattoo visible on a portion of her right breast.

She raised her hand and gestured for them to enter, "Your third test begins now."

"I think I might enjoy this one more than the first…" Mathias said, spitting on the floor.

"You're an idiot," Clover remarked, "Was the pendulum not some kind of clue? A very sharp and dangerous clue?" She asked, visibly cringing at the sight of the pendulum's shaft that was made of bones woven together with rope and chains. Her questions though fell upon deaf ears as Mathias stepped in to the room.

The woman blew him a kiss and seconds later her smile widened, "The Game Room."

The concrete floor collapsed underneath the orange haired rocker in a perfect square. His eyes widened as gravity won out and he began to fall. He was abruptly stopped by hands grabbing on to his shirt from behind and he was thrown on to his butt.

"We're even…" Clover said, panting lightly, Mathias being no means light to her.

He smiled as he stood up. He dusted himself off and spit on the ground once again, "Thanks Clover…" He stared at the woman with half-lidded eyes and a wry smile on his face that widened ever so slightly to reveal his sharp teeth to her. He craned his neck causing several loud pops before he said, "I'm going to enjoy this a lot more than I should…" He brought out one of his bayonets and Clover unsheathed her weapon as well.

* * *

"My King, are you all right?" one of the women asked, "You're shaking…"

The King sat upon his throne. His knuckles were a shade lighter from how tightly he was griping the armrests. His right knee was bouncing ever so slightly. Beneath them crashes and bangs came through loud and clear despite the thick concrete separating the two floors. The King was indeed shaking, but at the same time he was grinning widely from ear to ear.

"Fuck… Hehehe… I'm shaking… with excitement," He stated, "They got past those drones, the wolves and I'm actually hoping they get past the traps. This could be a lot of fucking for me… Hehehehe," He chuckled. His grip tightened to the point he shattered the skulls that decorated the corners of his arm rests.

* * *

Mathias back-flipped and Clover jumped in to the air just as a double-headed axe swung out of the wall, flying between them and clipping off the tip of one of Mathias' hair spikes. They landed safely on their feet and the orange haired rocker quickly grabbed Clover and pulled her back, seconds later a wooden stake the same height as Clover came crashing down and embedded itself in to the floor.

"This is fun," Mathias commented with a smile.

"I would hate to see what you consider dangerous then," _'You deranged idiot!' _Though she badly wished to say the last part, she would rather Mathias pull her out of the way of traps than take the chance of saying it and him pushing her in to the way of one like he had that unfortunate woman. She glanced at the bloody mass near the door that was riddle with dozens of smaller wooden stakes, the only indicator of who the impaled soul once was being the red snake tattoo on the right breast which the blood had yet to cover.

"Heads up!" Mathias said, snapping her from her thoughts. She felt a hand on her head and was pushed down as a pendulum swung down, missing her by some inches and embedding itself in the opposite wall. She looked up to see Mathias smiling down at her.

"Or should I say down?"

"Did you forget I'm holding a very sharp object or are you just desperate to be castrated?" She snarled dangerously, glaring up at him, unable to get on to her feet as Mathias was keeping crouched.

Her comment only seemed to make his smile grow.

Both of them jumped back. Clover spun on her toes gracefully, slicing two large wooden stakes as the fell. Mathias on the other hand ran full tilt towards a pair of women; using his bayonets to slice through the simple traps they had waiting.

"Reverse…" One of them started. The second reached back.

"Hangman," she finished. Unbeknownst to the orange haired rocker, she pulled a lever down just as his foot touched the ground. He was suddenly pulled off of his feet by a micro-filament wire that was pulled taut around his ankle. He was pulled in to the air and he felt something press against his neck. He quickly reached for it and found it was a second wire. He gritted his teeth and struggled against the bonds as they began to pull in opposite directions.

"Son of a - !" He wheezed.

"Mathias!" Clover called.

"And the game is over," the two women said in unison, grinning widely as Mathias pulled at the wire. Blood let from the top of his neck and ankle as the wired tightened against his skin, cutting in to it.

"That's… no fun… If the game ends so soon!" Mathias said with a grin, still struggling. He suddenly felt the force pulling his leg disappear and something silver fly through the air overhead. He hit the floor with a thud and he quickly freed himself from the wire trap.

"Nice move, Clover," He said, looking to where his Doctor was only to see her dancing around the traps with only her sheath. He looked around and found that it was her sword she had thrown and now it was embedded in to the wall some feet above them, "Or maybe not…" He grumbled.

"Your assistance would be appreciated," She called to him, "Either stop the traps or get my damn sword for me!"

Mathias rolled his eyes, "Women, always complaining…" His lips turned up in to a smirk. He jumped in to the air just as the floor collapsed beneath him. He swung his legs back and threw his upper body forward, putting him in to a flip. He aimed his hands at the ground and fired sound bursts, launching him high.

He put his feet against the wall and ran up a couple steps before he found the sound and grabbed it.

"Mathias!"

"I see'em…" He glanced over his shoulder at the incoming mallets. He pushed off of the wall and hit the ground hard with no way to stop himself. He rolled to side as the poorly suspended mallets came falling down after him.

"Happy?" He called out, tossing Clover her weapon. She caught it and nearly bisected one of the girls, though fortunately for her she was able to avoid the blade.

"Yes actually…" She said with an even face, conveying no happiness whatsoever. More like annoyance…

The two of them danced around traps and sliced them apart with their blades. Mathias scooped Clover up in a bridal style carry and leaped over a series of trapdoors in the floor that were in their way. With a hop-skip, jump he cleared the three gaping holes in the floor and with a single step they were at the other side of the room.

Clover thrashed and elbowed him in the cheek in order to get him to set her down. He finally did.

He sighed, "Aw man… This room wasn't very fun at all…" He turned to the carnage and chaotic mess behind them, "hey ladies! Are you _sure _this is the last room?" He shouted.

"The next room is the king's!" One of them replied, keeping to the wall as to avoid the rest of the untriggered traps in the room, "You may have survived his tests but you won't fair so easily against him!"

"He's a god and you're just an ant in comparison, little man!" Another of them shouted. A grin spread across Mathias face. A god? And he was an ant by comparison? This interested him. An island filled with broken and zombified people that treated this man like a king. An asylum to call a castle and three rooms that only a truly twisted individual could devise beneath his own room. Mathias' shoulders began to shake and he ran a hand through his hair.

'_Oh wonderful… If he hadn't lost his mind before, he certainly has now…' _Clover thought seeing her "Captain" move about. He reared his head back and looked at the ceiling with wide, bloodshot eyes. His grin was stretched to its limits and his sharp, shark-like teeth were on display. He began to chuckle, it was quiet, deep but soon it grew louder and gradually louder until it was full blown laughter, a mad cackle that would shivers up and down's spine. And not in the good way…

"Oh man I wanna meet this guy!" Mathias exclaimed, kicking open the doors to the last set of spiral stairs they would have to climb, "Clover… I feel like singing," He said as he started for the stairs.

"Oh joy…" Clover stated, crossing her arms underneath her chest and following after him.

Mathias stuffed his hands in to his pockets, "Oh come now, you love it when I sing…" Clover scoffed, "This one is complete actually and it's a personal favorite…"

"You say that about most of your songs," Clover commented.

"Because they're all my favorites! I can't choose just any _one _of my beautiful creations to be my favorite!" Mathias laughed, "Now, unless you want to use that cute little mouth of yours for something else…" He looked over his shoulder to see her glaring harshly and blushing at the same time, "Keep it shut and I'll sing…"

He cleared his throat.

_Define your meaning of war_

_To me it's what we do when we're bored_

_I feel the heat coming off of the blacktop_

_And it makes me want it more_

His grin widened and he hopped ahead, spinning around.

_Because I'm hyped out of control_

_If it's a fight I'm ready to go_

_I wouldn't put my money on the other guy_

_If you know what I already know_

He threw his head back, holding his arms out wide.

_It's been a long time coming!_

_And the tables' turned around!_

_Cause one of us is goin'_

_One of us is going down!_

* * *

The King stood up from his throne. Even through the solid concrete floors of his asylum. Through the equally thick concrete and brick walls and through his twin steel doors, he could he the voice as if the singer were in the room with him, "He sang that last time he was here… What do you know?"

_I'm not runnin'!_

_It's a little different now!_

_Cause one of us is goin'_

_ONE OF US IS GOIN' DOWN!_

Those last one words bounced off of his walls. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His eyes shot open: his sclera was blood shot and his pupils were mere dots on the white backdrop of his eyes. He unwrapped a portion of his blood stained bandages from around his wrist and he pulled his hair back, using it to tie it up. He didn't want it in the way of their fight…

"Bring it on," He said, "I'll tear you apart!" He threw his head back and laughed madly.

* * *

"The final room…" Clover said, she and Mathias standing before what they expected to be the final set of blood stained and rusted still doors in this maddening, kill crazy asylum. Her expression was a serious one, her arms folded underneath her breasts with sheathed sword in hand. Mathias on the other hand was still grinning; he hadn't really stopped since entering the asylum. Clover turned to him, "What are your thoughts? Do you have a plan or anything to fight him?"

"There's no point in planning, we don't know how he fights," Mathias replied, dragging the cutting edge of his bayonet along the door, through the caked on layers of dark colored, dried blood, "We just gotta fight him."

"No point in planning? I believe it was that kind of thinking that brought us to this damned island in the first place," Clover said in a mater-of –fact tone that received a pointed, half-hearted glare from Mathias but she continued, "And got us caught up in these asinine games of a so called _King,_" She used one hand to make air quotes around 'king', "The Murderous King at that."

Mathias nudged her side causing her to flinch and step away from him, "Just go with it, it'll be fun…" Without another word he kicked door open with a crash. They swung open and a strong breeze blew from inside. Clover wretched despite her bandana and Mathias coughed, forcing his gag reflex down. The smell of death was stronger than ever here.

Unlike the other rooms, the floors were rather clean except for the dark colored spots of dried blood covering a vast majority of the floor. All of it seemed to thin out towards the center of the room where a throne was placed under the light coming down from the man-made hole in the ceiling. The throne itself was made of bone, white, sun dried bones that had its fair share of dried blood.

Clover flinched back seeing this and hid behind Mathias to an extent. The room illuminated seemingly of its own accord and Mathias took notice of the evenly spaced torches. All of them were made of bone with the flames coming out of the skull place on top.

"Bones?" Mathias asked.

"Shut up…" Clover snapped at him quietly, turning her back on the scene. She had seen one too many bones today and she wasn't having it. She suddenly jumped and yelped, grabbing her own rear. She whirled around to glare at Mathias with a light blush tinting her cheeks.

He stood with his back to her, whistling innocently.

"Stop grabbing me!" She shrieked.

"No."

"Pervert!"

"I'm quite proud of that fact," He replied with a wry grin. He motioned for her to follow, "Come on, the sooner I beat him, the sooner we can leave." Clover didn't argue with that logic. Unfortunately, she assumed they would most likely have to deal with those spiritless drones that were supposed to be people wandering in the streets.

They stepped in to the room, Clover very reluctant to do so.

A smile spread across Mathias' face. He spun around and grabbed her quickly. He used a Sound Burst to launch them through the air. Clover screwed her eyes shut tightly. She never saw the large shadowy figure come crashing down only seconds later upon where they once stood.

They came to a halt and her eyes shot open. She was sitting in Mathias' lap, he was sitting upon the throne in the center of the room with his legs crossed the ankles with his cheek resting in his palm. He had gotten comfortable quite quickly, though she could've done without the hand around her waist that was dangerously close to her rear.

"Say hello to your new crewmate, Clover," Mathias stated with a smile.

Her eyes widened in shock, "WHAT?"

"He's just like us… How can I say no?" Mathias replied, cringing slightly due to the volume of her shriek. A large figure moved within the smoke. His smile widened, "You ready to do this, King?" He asked.

"Don't cry like a bitch when you feel the pain," the King replied.

"You cheeky dick, those are my lyrics," Mathias said, "I'm gonna enjoy this."

* * *

**I'm sorry for the wait for such a short chapter. I really am. Getting inspired to write this single chapter was a pain in my tuckus. **

**THIS was a hype chapter! Next chapter: All Combat! All ass-kicking, badass goodness that most of you know me for. In other words: It's a fight scene. YAY!**

**And a big one! Until next time! **


	10. Jack the Ripper vs The Murderous King

**And we're back.  
**

**Like I said before, last chapter was a build up to the action in this one and following this chapter there will be a 2 week break while I get some stuff done and CorGryphon is busy with school.**

**This chapter is pure action and insults thrown in. Ready? Enjoy!  
**

* * *

"Ne… I can deal with you two little shits killing my drones and my women, I can deal with you turning my dogs on me and screwing with my trap room… But when you sit in my throne..." The man stopped talking. His dark figure rose to a standing position in the smoke and even from there, Mathias and Clover could tell he was quite tall. He craned his neck, popping it.

"Do you little fucks wanna dig your graves now or later?" He stepped out of the smoke with a wide manic grin spread across his face, "Or if you'd like I could feed you to my sharks… They're probably hungry." Mathias smirked. He wrapped an arm around Clover's waist to keep her in place despite her squirming and trying to push away from him and his touching of her.

"Hehehe…" The orange haired rocker started to chuckle before he burst in to full blown laughter. The King tilted his head, still grinning, but his eyebrows furrowed.

"Eh, you laughin' at me? What part of that was funny?"

Mathias grinned widely, saying, "It was the fact that you think you can tell me what to do…" His grinned widened, "No one… Does that." Clover glanced warily at him. She hit his chest and hissed in his ear.

"Let me go! He'll be able to attack us both if you keep this up!" Mathias ignored her completely. Instead he and the King were a staring contest of sorts. They were waiting for the other to blink. Waiting for their moment to strike…

"What's your name?" Mathias finally asked.

The King puffed out his chest and bashed his fist against his own chest, "Nigel Dragell! The Murderous King!"

Mathias nodded his head, "I like that… the title seems to suit you well…" He stroked Clover's head, running his fingers through her hair as gently pressed his lips to her forehead, "I told you my lovely, he's just. Like. Us…" He pressed his feet firmly against the floor and jumped high in to the air just seconds before Nigel barreled in to the throne and destroyed it, shattering it in a storm of bone debris.

The orange haired rocker landed safely on his feet and set Clover on her feet as well. She shoved him away and glared at him but he merely shrugged his shoulders. She opened her mouth to give him a verbal lashing but was interrupted.

"Oi! No lover's spats, you bloody fucks! I've been waiting fucking patiently for a damn fight and I expect a fight!" Nigel said, stepping out of the smoke cloud created from his crash. He cracked his knuckles and popped his neck. He rolled his shoulders, readying himself.

"Then let's fight! Mano y mano… y mano?" Mathias said, scratching his chin while thinking over the last part of his badass line, or at least he thought it was badass. He shook his head, "I strained my throat using those last two sound attacks so yeah, it's blades and fists at this point…" He brought out one of his bayonets and ran his tongue along the cutting edge.

Clover adjusted her glasses, pushing them up the bridge of her nose, "It appears so…" She unsheathed her sword.

"Don't go overboard… This guy is the newest member of our crew!" Mathias said with a wide grin. Clover's eyes widened considerably.

"WHAT?!"

Nigel jumped in to action, running full speed straight for them. The orange haired rocker side-stepped a punch aimed for him. Clover attacked with her sword swiftly as Nigel's momentum kept him going, leaving him unable to guard, but to their surprise he spun. The two of them managed to block the powerful back hands he lashed out with. Clover was thrown to the ground.

Clover rolled across the floor but picked herself up quickly as Nigel came straight for her next. She rolled along the ground, narrowly avoiding a powerful stomp. Nigel turned to her and raised his fist to bring it down. She stabbed for his chest but he caught her notched blade in his hand without even in inkling of a pained look on his face. If anything his grin widened.

Clover's eyes widened in shock and suddenly Nigel was bombarded by crows. He stood his ground and reared his fist back. He could still see her amongst the storm of black feathers. He lurched forward and suddenly the illusion broke. He glanced back to see that Mathias had landed on his back following a kick. The orange haired rocker gave him a two finger salute before he jumped off.

The Murderous King was struck in his face, his head twisted around to its limit because of a vicious straight kick from the blond, bespectacled girl beneath him. Clover scurried back hurriedly and leaped on to her feet.

Nigel stepped back as Mathias came down from above with vertical slash. Mathias landed in a crouch, unable to cut his opponent. They grinned at one another and Nigel raised his arm high.

He brought it down to deliver a smashing blow. Mathias crossed his arms over his head and blocked the attack and most of the damage but the pain was still there. He winced, but stood his ground. Nigel delivered a strong punch to his chest, directly where his heart was. The large man drove his knee up in to Mathias' sternum and delivered a strong hook punch with his right.

Mathias was thrown off of his feet by the powerful punch and was sent spiraling through the air.

Nigel was given no time to go after the orange haired rocker. He briefly caught sight of a glint of light out of the corner of his eyes and quickly ducked, Clover's sword whistling over his head, narrowly missing. The blond girl gyrated in the air and slashed rapidly. Nigel stepped back and side-stepped her attacks, his skin being nicked by the tip of the blade.

She raised her weapon over her head for a descending slash and Nigel took advantage of the opening presented to him. He swung, landing a punch to the blond Doctor's stomach. She doubled over, feeling the oxygen forcibly pushed from her lungs. Her grip loosened on her weapon and she stumbled the second her feet touched the stone floor. Nigel smirked and sent her flying with a powerful blow to her ribcage with the back of his hand.

She struck the wall with a resounding thud and she gasped, feeling a red hot pain shoot from the spot he had struck. She knew without a doubt she had a fracture. She coughed and wheezed on her hands and knees clutching at the wound, unable to stand due to the pain.

Nigel moved to run at her but was tackled from the side by Mathias. The Murderous King grinned. He dug his boots in to the stone floor and clasped his hands over his head. He delivered a strong hammer blow to Mathias' back, causing him to let go. Nigel delivered yet another knee, this time to Mathias' chest. The orange haired rocker gasped and fell to his knees and Nigel sent him skidding across the floor with a kick to his ribs.

The Murderous King spat on the ground and his lips formed in to a sneer, "This… This is boring! The fuck?! I was actually looking forward to this!" He roared in rage, stomping his boot clad foot and making a shallow impression in the stone. He opened his mouth to continue to his enraged rant but was stopped by a sudden slight pain in his stomach.

He looked down and there it was, a scalpel embedded in his stomach with a trail of blood flowing from the wound. He spied the blond Doctor who had her arm outstretched.

"God… You're almost as annoying as that orange haired idiot…" Clover said huskily, adjusting her glasses, "Mathias… Get'im…" Nigel looked down at the orange haired rocker who pushed himself up in to standing. He wobbled and swayed, almost as if he were drunk. He looked up and his eyes were wide, manic and bloodshot. Mathias brandished a second bayonet and licked the cutting edge.

"I'm having fun… How about you?" Mathias asked the Murderous King.

Nigel looked down at him and slowly smirked. He dropped in to his fighting stance, "I might now… Gonna start fighting for real now you orange haired little shit?" He taunted.

"… Hehehe…" Mathias chuckled. He swept his hair back with his free hand and grinned widely, letting the light from the torches bounce of his sharp teeth, "I would draw some blood and then gut you for the rest… But then I'd get nothing done if I were to kill my new crew mate!" The moment he stopped speaking he dashed towards Nigel. He lunged forward, side-stepping a punch from the Murderous King, and he rammed his second bayonet in to Nigel's stomach.

There was no pained gasped, grunt or cry of pain. Nigel's reaction was grinning. He grinned from ear to ear which, if it were possible, made Mathias grin as well. The Murderous King brought his fist down knuckles first on the crown of Mathias' head, slamming him chin first in to the hard, stone floor. He reared back his leg to deliver a kick, but received one instead courtesy of Clover.

She landed a kick to his sternum, knocking him off balance. She swung her other leg higher, landing a solid kick to his chin. Clover landed safely as she completed her back-flip, but winced and gasped in pain feeling a jolt shoot through her from her ribs.

She did her best to shake it off. She tightened her grip on her sword's hilt seeing Nigel recover quickly and set his psychotic sights on her.

Her eyes glowed and locked with his, "Shatter!" She snarled. His eyes widened considerably and he reeled back. He clutched at his head with only one hand and Clove smirked, thinking that she had won it for them, but was proven wrong quickly.

He laughed, looking down at her with an even more manic look than before, saying, "That was crazy… Felt kind of good actually…"

Clover gripped her sword tightly and slashes as quickly as she could with one arm and injured ribs. She ignored the stabbing and shooting pain to the best of her ability but finally fell to her knees, dropping her weapon in the process. She yelped in pain, screwing her eyes shut in another attempt to power through, but to no avail. She opened one eye only to see a shadow looming over her. Her heart rate skyrocketed…

"After I break you physically…" Nigel started as he drew his leg back, "I think I'm gonna break you mentally… You're a nice piece of ass!" He delivered a kick to the uninjured side of her ribs. She was picked up off of the floor by the back of her shirt and thrown through the air by the Murderous King effortlessly. She hit the wall with a resounding thud and her eyes widened considerably. She bit her lip with such force that she drew droplets of blood that rolled down her chin just to keep herself from shrieking in agony feeling the damage to her ribs worsen.

Nigel took a step towards her when he felt a hand wrap around his ankle. He looked down to see Mathias looking up at him from the floor, smiling weakly with a trail of blood going down the middle of his face from his forehead.

"Touch the little lady… And you're going to be one sorry, fucker…" He threatened with smile. Nigel scoffed and raised his leg. Mathias chuckled, "Don't say I didn't warn you." And with that said his face was stomped further in to the stone floor. Nigel twisted his foot, wiping and grinding the sole of his boot on the back of the orange haired rocker's head. He finally stopped and started for Clover yet again.

She shakily rose up, using the wall to aid her, but he was upon her. He wrapped his large hand around her neck and lifted her off of the ground to eye level with him. Her back was pressed against the wall. He smirked, even as she spit on to his arm in defiance, he smirked, "Ah yeah… Breaking you is going to be a joy!" He threw punch that she narrowly avoided by tilting her head. He struck her in the stomach causing her to gasp and wheeze in pain. She gulped down precious oxygen, or tried too as he brought her forward and then slammed her in to the wall once again.

"Ah!" She cried out, "Hnn… Mathias…" She choked, "Mathias! Wake up…. Help me!" She said a bit more loudly. Nigel drew his fist back and she screwed her eyes shut. She pulled at his hand with both of hers, "MATHIAS!"

"Shut up woman…" Her eyes opened and there was Mathias, standing up and shaking pebbles and dust from his hair, "I'm up," He spit on the floor, "Mister Murderous King, I will give you one last chance to put the pretty lady down before I have to _make _you…" Mathias said.

Nigel smirked and whirled around. He threw Clover towards Mathias at a breakneck speed. He successfully caught her, he was nearly thrown off of his feet by the impact, but he caught her.

"I'll only be a minute…" He told her, "I have to show this asshole who the real king is."

Clover chuckled weakly, "I thought you said you could fight…"

"I said I could fight… I never said I could fight _well_," He replied.

"I don't think he should be a part of our crew," Clover whispered, glaring weakly at Nigel who was tapping his foot, waiting.

"Hehe…" He kissed her forehead, causing her to flinch back, "It's cute how you think you have a choice and that you think your opinion matters to me." He shook his head, chuckling to himself. Clover scoffed indignantly, she was definitely going to hurt him for that later, but for now she'd have to rest. Mathias set her against the wall picked up both of his fallen bayonet swords.

"Are you done flapping your fucking gums? Are we gonna fight?" Nigel asked, sliding his right foot forward and raising his fists.

"Heh, just to let you know. You'll be the new member of my crew when I win," Mathias said. Nigel laughed.

"When? That's a fucking riot!" He said with a grin, his shoulders shaking from wanting to laugh, "Yeah Fine! Whatever gets this started already!"

"I'll hold you to that… Hey Clover? What do you want me to do to this guy?" He called to his Doctor over his shoulder. She shifted a bit and spat blood on to the floor before she answered him.

"Kill'im! Knock him the fuck out…" She snarled.

Mathias nodded, "Hear that pal?" His eyes widened as he tossed the bayonets. Nigel knocked them aside like nothing despite the cuts he received on his hands. Mathias sped towards him, "She said knock you out!" He slid to a stop and used both of his arms to block a swift roundhouse from Nigel and he ducked underneath the larger man's leg. He jumped up and delivered a punch to the Murderous King's face, but in retaliation, Nigel struck him with a hard body blow to his side.

Mathias landed on his feet and blocked swift punches and kicks, some he was lucky enough to dodge. He jumped back as Nigel brought his leg down in a vertical axe kick.

Both of them kicked high and their legs crossed. Their grins widened and they punched at a rapid speed, blocking and countering. Mathias was the one to lose the clash, receiving a vicious right cross to his cheek. But he smirked, extending his arm to Nigel's abdomen and placing his fingers together.

"Sound Burst!" He said just before he snapped his fingers, sending the Murderous King sliding back from the force of the sound blast. Mathias recovered from the hit and unleashed three more blasts. Nigel took the hits and stood his ground. He charged at fast speed and tackled Mathias, driving his shoulder in to the orange haired rocker's stomach and driving the air from his lungs.

Mathias was slammed in to the stone wall.

Nigel backed away but was surprised by Mathias pushing off of the wall and grabbing on to the sides of his head. He swung his head forward and struck his nose with a strong headbutt and the result was a sickening crack. Both of them reeled from the blow. Nigel stumbled back and clutched at his nose, setting it straight himself.

Mathias wobbled on his feet, delirious from his own attack. He murmured, "Mama said knock you out… I'm gonna knock you out… Mama said knock you out… I'm gonna knock you out…" He grinned and gave a thumbs up, "Ne, Clover… Got a new song…" He came back because Nigel grabbed him by his face and quickly slammed the back of his head against the wall.

"This is fun after all!" Nigel exclaimed with a manic grin. Mathias drove his knee in to Nigel's stomach and pushed him back. The orange haired rocker jumped in to the air and delivered a strong punch to his opponent's face. He quickly used Sound Burst, striking the Murderous King in the stomach and knocking him back further.

Nigel charged and Mathias dodged around him, jumping up once again and this time punching him on the back of his head. Mathias placed both of his feet on Nigel's back and crouched down. He delivered yet another punch and then jumped off, executing a backflip in mid-air and landing safely on his feet.

"Ha… Hahaha… Hah Hah Hah Hah!" Nigel roared with laughter as he stumbled back. He rounded on Mathias and swung his arm back, making a sizable crater in the wall, "Bloody fucking fun this is… I was wrong... I was wrong… this.. this is _Fun_! Been a while since I had this much FUN!" Mathias was surprised by the boost of speed Nigel received. He was unable to dodge, block or evade the Murderous King's vicious next attack: a lariat that made solid contact with his neck. He was picked up off of his feet and flipped rapidly in to the air.

Nigel reached back and grabbed on to Mathias' ankle and swung him through the air. He was slammed in to the ground again and again until he went limp, being swung through the air like a lifeless doll. Nigel swung him down one last time and Mathias caught himself mere inches from hitting the ground.

"Son of a…" Mathias, in a show of strength Clover was shocked to see, lifted Nigel off of the ground as he swung his legs, "BITCH! NOW I'M MAD!" Mathias shrieked with a grin spread across his face from ear to ear. Nigel struck the ground head first and his eyes rolled back.

Mathias rose on to his knees and snapped his fingers rapidly, blasting the Murderous King back and sending him crashing in to one of the walls and kept firing, filling the room with smoke and dust. Debris went flying in every direction.

"You chipped one of my teeth you little bitch!" Mathias snarled, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU DEAD!" Clover sweat dropped and face-palmed, shaking her head at the same time. Only Mathias Ripper would rage over a broken tooth…

The orange haired rocker clapped his hands, sending out a thunderous soundwave that tore across the room and struck where Nigel was with an explosive result. It demolished a large portion of the wall, revealing the dull, grey outside world and letting the light in, what little there was to let in anyway. As the dust began to settle from Mathias' rampage, Nigel slowly stood up, shaking off the rubble and dust clinging to him. His grey dreads were free from the bloody bandage he used to tie them up.

"Kill… Kill… You… Kill me?" He murmured underneath his breath. Mathias cuffed a hand around his own ear.

"Eh? What was that? Speak up!" He said.

"…I'll rip you apart… I'll kill you… I'll rip you in to pieces… with my Bare HANDS!" Nigel roared, throwing his head back and letting out an enraged roar that shook the very floor beneath them, "Kill! Kill! I'll kill you deader than dead, you bloody fucker! This is my Fighting Rage! AAAAAARRHH!" Clover's eyes widened, unable to believe what she was seeing. As Nigel ranted and raved, spewing death threats and his words of death aimed at Mathias, his muscles expanded ever so slightly. His shoulders broadened and his muscles became more defined. Veins bulged and his eyes went white, his pupils and irises having disappeared, leaving only bloodshot white sclera.

"What the hell is going on?" Mathias asked Clover.

"I don't know! I've never seen any human being do something like that!" Clover replied.

"Any ideas?" He asked.

"Don't get hit!" Clover replied.

He rounded on her with a deadpan expression, "… Seriously? I'm gonna fucking spank you for that! That is bullshit, I thought you were some kind of strategic genius or something! What kind of shit is that?" He threw his hands in to the air, "I swear I -"

"Mathias!"

A large shadow loomed over him the next second. He cringed, "Oh fuck m -" He was grabbed and thrown in to the air with incredible strength, as if he weighed next to nothing to the enraged Nigel. He hit the ceiling and suddenly felt as he was falling large hands fully wrap around his upper arms.

He looked down/up and saw Nigel. "Oh god dammit!" He cursed.

"Bloody…" Nigel said as they rapidly descended.

"No no no no no no!" Mathias protested, rapidly saying no again and again. He struggled and thrashed but it did no good in mid-air and in Nigel's grip. Clover's eyes widened, She winced as she tried to move.

"Mathias!" She screamed.

"That's not helping!"

"POWER BOMB!" Nigel roared. He flipped once as they neared the ground and swung, driving the his orange haired opponent in the floor with such force that ripple traveled through the stone and waves of stone turned up seconds later. Clover covered her eyes and curled up as tightly as she could to protect herself from the debris and anything that may come her way. She coughed as she inhaled the dust and smoke and waved the arm on her injured side. She squinted her eyes, opening them ever so slightly.

The room was in absolute disarray. Slabs of jagged stone were turned upwards in waves moving out from the gaping hole that was now in the center of the floor. She gingerly stood up, holing her injured side and carefully made her way through the damage. She peered in to the hole…

"Need… Help… Use your brain woman!" Mathias said. He was in a grappling match with Nigel and losing quickly, the larger man with the higher ground and pushing him back step by step.

"Use your sound voice!" She told him.

"I can't! I'll lose my voice!" Mathias shouted back, "It's a fucking miracle I'm talking now!" Clover gritted her teeth, wanting to scream at him for screaming at her, but it was a wonder she could talk with her ribs as damaged as they were. She winced and racked her brain for an idea. Mathias' devil fruit allows him to manipulate and create sound frequencies… He can increase them to cause disorientation and inner ear damager… He can create bursts…

Her eyes widened, _'Worth a shot…' _

"Mathias!"

"Kind of busy!"

"Listen to me, Fool!" She shrieked, biting back a scream feeling pain shoot from her ribs again. She shuddered, "Vibrate your hand! All objects, even people, vibrate at a certain frequency! Make your hand vibrate and knock him the fuck out!"

"Can I do that?" He asked. He was picked up and thrown through the air.

"YES!" She scream which was followed by a yelp, she pounded her fist against the floor and kept on, "It's like that Thunderclap move you have! Only with one hand, think of it like that!"

"Son of a – You had better be right!" He stood up and drew back his right fist. Nigel roared in his enraged, berserker state and charged. Mathias narrowed his eyes…

"Bloody Cross!" Nigel roared.

"Kill that noise!" Mathias replied. Both of them threw a punch and their fists collided.

Clover fell back on her rear, narrowly avoiding a geyser of smoke and debris as if burst forth from the hole in the floor from below. She watched Nigel and Mathias go high in to the air, trading blows. She could hear the impact of Nigel's fists against Mathias' skin, a noise that made her cringed. She could see a kind of distortion around Mathias' fists at the same time that sent a ripple through Nigel and his muscle.

"It worked!" Mathias exclaimed just before he was sent crashing in to the rocks below. Nigel clasped his hands together over his head and fell down after him. The blond Doctor took cover behind upturned rocks as more debris came her way following the crash. She looked up hearing a pained grunt and peered around to see Mathias send Nigel crashing in to the wall.

"Mathias…" She smirked a bit.

"I got my second wind!" He said with a wide grin. He crouched down and turned towards her, "And he chipped _another_ goddamn tooth," He opened his mouth a bit and pointed to the two slight chips in his sharp teeth. With a barking laughter he launched himself at Nigel, he reared back his fist to deliver another sound enhanced punch. The Murderous King pried himself from the crater he was in and threw his head forward, countering Mathias' punch with his own head. The two of them still demolished another portion of the Asylum's wall and were sent falling outside.

"Shit!" Clover hissed, picking herself up, "Stay in one damned place. I'm injured… Inconsiderate fuck…" she made her way around the upturned stone and with what little energy she had left, used her blade to cut the stone evenly at her height she may look outside. She peered down. It was easily twenty feet down and there was her Captain and the so called King…

Both of them were lying amongst the rubble. They moved little by little and tried to pick themselves up. It looked as though that Nigel's berserker state had worn off as he was no longer ranting and raving about ripping them apart.

"About that second wind…" Mathias said, rolling on to his side coughing and wheezing, "I got it knocked out of me… Ow…" He rolled on to his stomach with plop and slowly rose up on to his hands and knees.

"Ah... Shit… Shit…" Nigel cursed. He rose up on to his knees and held his head. He felt something warm and wet, the all-too-familiar scent wafted in to his nose and he brought his hand away. His hand was covered his blood. Of all things, he smiled widely and he started to chuckle, "Holy shit… I'm bleeding…" He looked down at himself and he had several dark bruises that were plainly visible even against his dark skin. Several cuts… there was blood…

"It's been a while…" He murmured. He slid his hand through his hair, taking his dreads out of his vision and stood up.

"Ahhhh… I am going to be feeling this tomorrow…" Mathias groaned with a grin on his face, "A kick in the teeth would be more enjoyable than this…" He laughed a bit, "Hey Clover! New lyrics!"

"This is the worst possible time, you ignoramus!"

"Says you!" Mathias replied. He finally managed to stand up but bent over, placing his hands on his knees. He spat out blood on to the ground. He locked eyes with Nigel and he nodded, "Yeah, you'll make a good addition to my crew…"

"You have to beat me first," Nigel said, taking his stance.

"I've already beaten you," Mathias stated, "You just refuse to accept it."

"Funny…" Nigel replied sarcastically. Both combatants jumped in to battle and threw a right. Their fists solidly connected with the others face. Nigel delivered another punch. Mathias retaliated with a body blow to the King's side.

Nigel headbutted Mathias and the orange haired rocker drove his knee in to Nigel's abdomen. Mathias spun around and delivered a strong back hand to Nigel's face and he countered with a vicious right that caused Mathias to stagger, blood dripping on to the ground.

Mathias recovered took a hard jab to his shoulder in order to get close. He fired a Sound Burst at point blank range, throwing Nigel back. He focused on his right hand did as Clover told him. He dashed and leaped high in to the air; he swung and struck Nigel with a hard right to the side of his face. He kept going and sent the King crashing in to the Asylum walls with enough force to demolish the small portion he made contact with.

The orange haired rocker stumbled back holding his wrist. He watched the pile of rubble that Nigel's torso was buried under, waiting for movement.

Clover watched them from below, hoping Mathias had won so this madness with bones, blood and all of this death could stop… at least for now seeing as she was part of Mathias Ripper's crew. She looked around them, finally taking notice of the gathering crowd of Higaru Island's people. They stood there, some of the more lively ones were bouncing on their heels, gripping the iron bars of the Asylum's gate so tightly that their knuckles turned white and she could see drops of blood rolling down the rusted iron. Other stood there like zombies, mouths agape and eyes half-lidded and expressionless. They were coming droves for as far as she could see from her vantage point.

This worried her. What if they didn't take kindly to their 'King' losing? Her ribs were broken or fractured and Mathias' injuries had to have been taking effecting by now. He was no doubt feeling fatigued from what they had been through and from the way he was holding his wrist, her bones may not be the only ones cracked.

Mathias watched and waited. He sneered, thinking he had gone overboard and killed Nigel. It was pity… His crew needed the muscle to go with his good looks and Clover's brains, even if the guy didn't play an instrument, some security never hurt. His eyebrows rose when saw and heard the rubble shift. Nigel slowly sat up, brushing the stone off of himself.

His right eye had rapidly swollen shut and his lip on the right was busted. Despite the injuries he sustained, he grinned.

"I guess you win… what's your name anyway?" He asked, spitting out blood.

"Mathias Ripper... You can call me Jack the Ripper, my new epithet..."

_'He just made that up on the spot... Idiot...' _Clover thought.

"Heh... Has a ring to it... Not as cool as the Murderous King though..." And with that Nigel's eyes rolled back and he fell back with a thud.

Mathias looked up to Clover, "See Clover? Mathias Ripper always gets what he wants… He always wins…" He grinned widely. The more lively of the crowd burst in to roars and cheers. They shook the gate wildly, they stomped their feet, they screamed at the top of their lungs!

Mathias threw his arms open, "I guess I'm king now!"

Clover rolled her eyes.

* * *

**And that's it. The Higaru Island Arc ended with a bang! I hope you guys enjoyed this.  
**

**Not a whole lot to say. For one, thank you everyone who reviewed and that have been loyal followers despite me being so lazy and taking so long with chapters :) Thanks again. We'll see you in 2 weeks hopefully. Ja!**


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